Deepening Appreciation
by RockyRoadSmith
Summary: Takes place after "For Granted". When the rebels get back on the road they decide to treat Holly well to show her their appreciation. Not everything works out as planned, though, and a couple of the rebels are pushed to their limits. Complete.
1. Chapter 1: On The Road Again

With "For Granted" finished I thought I was finally out of the woods. I didn't expect, though, to get so much feedback to make one last chapter! Even people who never reviewed my story sent me messages to make another chapter. Because I already put the story under "complete" so everyone thinks it's done, I decided to take peoples' requests and add another part to "For Granted", except it's a mini story instead (I failed on the whole one-shot idea.) . My awesome reviewers of "For Granted" are ripitupgenki, Butterflygirl1234, archsage328, Dark Fox Tailz, Mandy, and KairiOliver. This story is for you guys! Again the fight scenes of Tiger and Hare are based on Dark Fox Tailz ideas and suggestions. This is much more serious than "For Granted", but I'll toss in some comedy as well. So, to get a lot of this, READ "**FOR GRANTED**" FIRST!

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

**Deepening Appreciation**

**Chapter 1: On The Road Again**

The sky couldn't be any more blue and it shone without a cloud in its midst. The small town in the closure of the surrounding forest was filled with life as people took off for work and others went to the market area to replenish their food stock. The villagers had become accustomed to the newcomers who had made camp in their lively town and no longer felt threatened by their presence. A young Dino ran through town pulling along a cart full of barley for his master, but the clumsy dinosaur monster tripped on the gravel under his feet. Before his body could connect with the cold ground, though, a large rock hand caught the beast and helped him into a standing position.

"Thank you, mister!" The Dino thanked with a wryly smile as he looked up at the large rock monster standing before him.

"You're welcome… Have a… nice day…" Golem replied with a smile as he slowly made his way through town. The rebels had made quite the impression on the town and while their sick comrade had been resting, they often found themselves helping the townsfolk with choirs. This made them well known and well liked. The Golem purebred had left early in the morning to gather up some needed supplies for their upcoming journey while the other rebels packed up their gear from the inn. The time had come and they were finally leaving.

Whatever illness had plagued the rebels was finally at its end. When Tiger and Hare had fallen sick, the group was sure the duo would be sick for weeks like Holly. It was soon found out, though, that being monsters made their immunity to fight the illness far better than they thought. Within several days the two monsters were as good as new and ready to travel once again (and fight with each other once again). Traveling was out of the questions, however, because the young girl wasn't as lucky. Holly took far longer to recover and even fell into several relapses, causing the rebels great stress and grief.

Now, three weeks after Holly first fell ill, she was finally leaving the hospital. The doctors basically begged the girl to stay, for her body was still recovering and her immunity to illnesses had weakened immensely, but Holly politely refused. Even the other rebels tried to talk her into staying since they feared for her health, but the young girl was determined to leave. Since the group had been in the town for so long, Holly feared the town was in danger because of their reputation. For the villagers' sake, Holly knew they had to leave.

* * *

Genki surveyed the inn room to ensure they had all of their belongings before looking over to the other rebels. Mocchi looked relieved to be leaving and Genki knew it was hard for the energetic monster to stay low key for so long. Suezo had a look of relief and anxiety on him. He was relieved to get back on the road again, but he knew Holly was far weaker and could easily die from a common cold. He would rather stay in the town for another few weeks until his partner was in better condition, but he knew Holly's stubborn side and he knew she wasn't going to stay. Hare and Tiger looked like they were relieved to ditch the town, but their angered looks at each other hadn't stopped since Holly had first fallen ill. What started as a tiny bickering match had turned into something far greater, and Genki was worried. The duo had never really physically fought until the wielder of the Magic Stone had fallen ill, and their hatred for one another was very evident.

"Genki… Golem found good… food for us…"

Genki's attention was turned to Golem, who was now outside the inn window. He held up a bag full of supplies and Genki gave the rock monster a thumbs up. Although Golem liked towns, he much preferred the open road where nature still ruled. Gravel roads and brick buildings weren't things the rock monster particularly enjoyed, so heading back on the road was a blessing.

"Now that we're all packed, our last stop is to go pick up Holly at the hospital. Let's get moving!" Genki announced as him and Mocchi quickly posed epically while the other rebels sweated.

The walk through town was slightly bitter since the rebels knew they would most likely never come to this quaint little town ever again. Besides the one doctor, the group had been treated very fairly here which surprised them since Baddies had been patrolling the area. Most towns that were in threat of Moo were opposed to having outsiders in their homes, but this town had welcomed them after they started helping around town. The hospital building was as tiny as ever as Genki knocked on the door of the establishment. Lucky for him one of the Mew nurses opened the door instead of the regular doctor. They had enough dealing with him the first few times.

"Good morning! You must be here for Holly, right?" The small cat monster asked with a purr.

"That's right. We're leaving today." Hare replied with a smile as he leaned over to Tiger. "She'd make a cute girlfriend for you, Tiger." He whispered slyly.

"Shut up!" Tiger growled as his face flushed red.

"Okay, you two! Let's go see Holly before you cause any more trouble here." Genki huffed as the Mew joyfully lead the rebels to Holly's room.

"Good luck on your journey!" The nurse said with a smile as she waved them goodbye before disappearing down the corridor. With that, Genki slowly knocked on the door just in case.

"Holly? It's Genki! The whole group's here and we're ready to leave when you are." The young boy called through the door, but the handle slowly turned to reveal another Mew nurse. The entire group face faulted in surprise before straightening out and looking down at the Mew with confusion.

"I just gave your friend her medicine! Make sure she takes a pill in the morning and at night. She has to eat something with it, though, or she'll get sick. She has a good few weeks supply of it, so you should be all set!" The Mew said with a flick of her tail. "She can't lift heavy things for awhile and she can't eat anything heavy. Make sure she also gets plenty of rest, plenty of fluids, and that she doesn't over exert herself. One last thing; don't let her get hurt at all. One wrong cut could be the end of her."

"Thanks, we'll be sure to watch out for her." Genki said with a thankful smile as he hurried past the nurse and into the room. Inside the room seemed more relieving then before, but Genki felt it was probably because the first sight wasn't Holly with IVs in her arms. Instead, Holly was standing up as she packed the last of her belongings. She looked extremely tired and frail, but she also gave off the feeling of determination.

"Holly! Do you need any help?"

At the sound of Genki's voice, Holly quickly whipped around before a smile spread across her lips. She hadn't expected the group to come so early since they were notorious for being late, but this was a pleasant surprise. No matter how tired she was, Genki always made her feel more energized and more positive. He just had that effect on people.

"Thank you, Genki, but I'm all set. You ready to leave?" Holly replied with a smile.

"Yeah, let's get out of this place. The Phoenix is out there calling our names!" Genki exclaimed proudly as he pumped his fist in the air, causing Holly to giggle to herself. Genki was the most determined person she had ever met.

The rebels left the hospital with relief before slowly making their way to the edge of the town. Several of the villagers waved to them and called out their goodbyes as the rebels returned their waves. With one last glance at the village and at the kind villagers, the rebels slowly made their leave. Genki was right when he said the Phoenix was out there, and staying in the town wasn't going to lead them to the legendary bird.

* * *

"Grrr…! These bugs are awful!"

"They're annoying everyone, Suezo, so you can stop your complaining."

"Whenever _you_ complain everyone agrees with you, but when _I _say something everyone gangs up on me!"

"That's because you're not threatening at all. No one would tell Tiger to be quiet."

"Shut up, Genki! Mocchi always complains and no one says anything to him!"

"He's a baby, you numb skull. Of course he complains!"

"Be quiet, Hare!"

Holly walked along side Suezo as she watched the rebels argue over another meaningless topic. Although the complaining was annoying, the arguing kept everyone's minds off the bugs, so it worked out alright_. 'It's weird to say it, but I actually missed this.'_ The young girl thought with a smile as she watched Genki posing on top of a rock before Suezo smacked him down with his tongue. Although they had beaten three out of the four Big Bad Four, they were still a rag tag group of vagabonds.

"Maybe we should ask the Magic Stone for guidance…" Holly suggested as she watched the rebels quiet down. It seemed like forever since they had seen the magical pendant in action and the rebels quickly surrounded Holly with excitement. It was normally such a normal routine for them that it no longer struck interest in the rebels, but now it seemed like the most miraculous thing in the world. The young girl sweated as she watched the group staring at the Magic Stone with extreme intensity, and she laughed nervously to herself before focusing her attention on the pendant.

"Magic Stone… guide our way to where the Phoenix lies…" Holly whispered with her eyes closed as the Magic Stone began to glow in her hands. The other rebels watched in amazement as if this was the first time they had ever seen it. The image of the Phoenix shone brightly in the stone before pointing North once again.

"I guess we're continuing North." Holly commented as she quickly put away the Magic Stone.

"Sounds great! Let's head out!" Genki announced as him and Mocchi ran to the front of the group before leading the way. The other rebels followed him without question, though a few of them couldn't help but wonder why they followed the boy. He had pretty poor direction skills.

After only an hour of walking, Holly began to feel it. Normally they would walk far longer without even breaking a sweat, but this was different. Her legs ached and her breathing was becoming labored. The brunette felt a little nauseous as her head became as light as a feather. She didn't want to tell the other rebels for she knew they would surely either have her be carried by Golem (though she didn't want to be a burden to him) or stop their journey all together again. She wanted to hide it. She wanted to pretend she was fine; to act like nothing was wrong. It's how she always operated, but this time something was different. This time, a memory lingered into her head and made her heart wrench.

* * *

_"Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling good?" Genki asked, and Holly felt relief go through her entire body as she released the tension in her grip. The subject of Moo would be for another day, but she was relieved it wasn't coming up now._

_"…I'm sorry." Holly apologized with a frown as her tired gaze fell onto the hospital sheets that covered her body._

_"Huh? Sorry for what?"_

_"…for slowing everyone down again. First it was the Black Worm poison and then it was when I hurt my ankle. I keep holding the group back." The ill brunette said as her sad gaze fell onto Genki's shocked face._

_"Don't be sorry for stuff like that! Heck, you're the one that keeps us on track!" Genki exclaimed as he nodded his head. "Is that why you didn't tell us you weren't feeling good? Because you didn't want to slow us down?"_

_Holly numbly nodded her head in response while Genki smiled softly. As always, Holly had been thinking about the good of the group and not her own well being. It was something that just came naturally to her._

_"Don't worry, Holly. You never slow this group down." The young boy said with a grin. "Don't hide it when you're sick next time, okay? I don't want to lose you."_

* * *

It was such a simple thing that Genki had said, but it touched her more than anything in the world. At that time she could see the fear in his eyes at seeing her in such a sickly state. She could see the ounce of betrayal as well because she had hid her condition from him. At the time, she could see the relief in him from seeing her awake and the happiness that radiated from him when she first spoke his name, as if he thought he would never hear it come from her again. Although Genki had panicked and fled, which hurt Holly deep down, it didn't erase the moment of honesty and comfort they had shared for those brief minutes. Looking back now, she knew she couldn't possibly hide her fatigue from him anymore.

"Um, Genki…?"

The young boy turned around to see Holly had stopped walking and was looking a little flustered. Genki looked at her with a look of confusion as she played with the end of her vest nervously. She didn't want them to worry for her, but she couldn't lie to Genki either. She just couldn't do that to him.

"What's up, Holly?" Genki asked curiously as the other rebels looked over at the two humans with interest.

"I... um… would it be okay to take a break?" Holly stammered as she mentally scolded herself for sounding so pathetic.

"Huh? Are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick?" Genki asked with concern as the monsters looked at her with looks that matched Genki's. This is what she didn't want to happen. She didn't want to make them worry.

"I'm just feeling a little tired, is all. I'm not use to traveling anymore." Holly said with a weak smile.

"We'll take a break then! A break will do us all some good!" Genki stated with a grin.

"I have an idea." Tiger said with a stern tone. "I'll go up ahead and look for a water source. That way we'll have a good location to make camp. I'll be back soon." With that said the wolf monster sped off into the distance without waiting for the group's reply and disappeared from sight.

Genki laid down in the grass along with Mocchi as they let out a relaxed sigh. It felt nice to be back out on the open road once again. His gaze slowly fell onto Holly, who was sitting on the ground and leaning up against Suezo. She already looked beat from the journey so far and she looked as though she could fall asleep right there and then. The young boy couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl as he watched her talking with her monster.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Suezo asked with concern as Holly went to stretch her arms out to pat him comfortingly, but her arms were still sore from the IVs so she quickly retracted them.

"I'm okay, Suezo. I just got a little light headed is all." Holly replied as she looked up at the sky with a smile. For weeks she had only seen the sky through a window, so it was truly a sight for sore eyes.

"You heard the nurse, Holly. You can't over exert yourself. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will."

Several hours past as the rebels waited patiently for Tiger's return. The sky was beginning to turn into a beautiful color mixture of red and orange, but the rebels weren't thinking about the scenery. Their concern was if Tiger had run into trouble or if he wouldn't get back until far later. The last thing the group wanted to do was to march around in the dark looking for a campsite.

"Figures Tiger would leave us hanging." Hare muttered as he played boringly with his knapsack. "We should have sent someone else that's more reliable."

"Oh, Hare. I'm sure Tiger knows what he's doing." Holly responded softly.

"Yeah, he's the best tracker I know." Genki smiled with pride as Mocchi chirped in agreement.

"Yeah, but I'm a great tracker, too." The rabbit monster huffed as he crossed his arms. "I can find anything just as well as Tiger, if not better."

"Hare, I know you're a great tracker, too. While Tiger uses his senses, you use your mind." Holly complimented. With Holly, there was no taking sides. If someone was better at something, she'd find a skill that was just as good to make the other person feel better, but without insulting the other person. It never failed.

"Well, you're right on that one." Hare grinned smugly at the compliment, which ended the topic about Tiger. "So, Holly, are you feeling better?"

"I feel fine now, thank you." Holly replied with a smile. "A little rest was all I needed."

"Mocchi's glad Holly's okay, chi!" Mocchi said with a smile as Holly gestured the little monster to come to her. The sweet cake like monster quickly ran to her side before Holly scooped him up in her arms like a baby and kissed his forehead gently.

"I'm glad, too, so I can spend time with you guys again." Holly replied as she stroked the young monster's head soothingly and Mocchi giggled happily in response.

"You guys! Look!" Genki shouted as he spotted a fast moving monster heading their way. Before the boy could put his rollerblades on for battle, Tiger quickly emerged from the shadows, causing the other rebels to sigh in relief.

"If I really was a Baddie, I could have killed you since you were so slow." Tiger huffed while Genki blushed from embarrassment.

"Whatever." Genki frowned as he kicked a small pebble with the end of his boot. "So did you find a water source?"

"Hmph. Of course I did." Tiger said, and the pride in his voice was not lost to the other rebels. "It's a small pond out in the East part of the woods. It's about a two hour trip away from here. I didn't sense any Baddies in the area and there's a level spot not too far from the pond that would make for a good campsite. I also spotted a sign for another town that's several miles ahead, though we don't want to travel in the dark. It's best we camp now and head to the town early in the morning."

"Chi! Great job, Tiger!" Mocchi praised as he hugged tighter around Holly's waist.

"Yeah, maybe the next town will have a better selection of food than the last." Genki grumbled as he remembered seeing the vast amount of carrots in the last market place. "So let's get moving!"

"It's a… long trip… Golem will… carry Holly…if she… would like…" Golem offered with care so not to offend Holly as he looked down at the vulnerable girl. If walking for only a little while caused her to tire, Holly surely wouldn't last a two hour trip with no breaks. It wasn't worth the risk anyways.

Holly looked up at the large rock monster before nodding her head. She hated to admit it, but if she were to walk she would only slow the group down. It was already getting dark as it was, and the last thing they needed now was for her to succumb to fatigue. "That would be great. Thank you, Golem." The young brunette thanked as she climbed onto Golem's extended hand with a now sleeping Mocchi in her arms before the rock giant placed her gently onto his shoulder.

With that situated, the infamous group of rebels set with Tiger in the lead. The wolf monster cautiously led the group in silence through the thick forest before they came to a small clearing. Genki could see where several small trees had been torn from the ground and he knew it was Tiger's doing._ 'So that's what took so long… He was preparing the campsite for us…' _The young boy thought to himself with a smile as he placed his backpack onto the dry ground.

"So, Tiger, are you going to go get firewood like you promised?" Hare teased as Tiger flushed with anger. The wolf monster was hoping the rebels had forgotten about Pixie's punishment, but he wasn't that lucky.

"Yes. Of course." Tiger snarled as he did everything in his power not to bite Hare's neck right there and then. "And what about _you_? Last I checked you were relieving Holly of her cooking duties for the next week."

Holly watched the two monsters with a frown on her face as Golem gently placed her on the ground and Mocchi leapt out of her arms and ran to Genki's side. She had thought that the duo had volunteered to do those choirs out of kindness and to give her a break in her weak state, but something was off. There seemed to be another reason behind their offers to cook and gather firewood, and she felt as though she was out of the loop. By looking at the other rebels' faces of amusement, Holly knew she was missing something and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. Was she part of some kind of joke?

"Okay guys. Let's get ready for the night." Suezo quickly broke the confrontation with a nod. With that said, Tiger strode off into the woods to gather usable wood while the other rebels began to unpack their camping gear. The eyeball monster had seen the slight look of hurt on Holly's face from feeling excluded from the group and he didn't want her to dwell on it. The rebels had been unsure if Pixie had wanted Holly to know about her help, so the rebels had decided to keep it hidden for now. The last thing they wanted was to anger Pixie for her showing a soft spot for anyone.

Holly slowly made her way to the edge of the camp before setting down her things. The group had been acting different since they had started the journey again and it was beginning to worry her. She pretended not to see it, but Holly could see the awkwardness in the group, especially with Hare and Tiger. After she had seen her ruined sleeping bag, she had been more upset than angry. The sleeping bag had been a gift to her from Pink Eye, because a few weeks before her village was destroyed, Holly and her monster friends had planned to go on a camping trip together. Fate had other plans, though. She felt that maybe Tiger and Hare were acting different because of that, but for a reason she couldn't pin point she doubted it.

'_Besides, I have a new sleeping bag that's just as special.'_ Holly thought to herself as she unpacked the new item. A few days after Holly was hospitalized Genki showed up at the hospital by himself with a wrapped package behind his back. The ill girl was extremely surprised when he placed it gently on her lap before she carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside the box was a new red sleeping bag and by looking at Genki's face, she knew he had spent a lot of time picking it out. The young boy looked a little flushed as he told her the color reminded him of her hair ribbon before he embarrassingly made his way out of the room with another quick goodbye, leaving Holly to smile to herself and hold the gift close to her.

"Hey, Holly!" Suezo exclaimed with a smile, snapping Holly out of her trip down memory lane. "Sit back and relax while we set everything up." The eyeball monster said with a smile while Holly gave him a confused look. He knew Holly didn't want to be useless, but it was time that they treated the girl to a night of relaxation and enjoyment to show her their appreciation. The last thing they wanted was for her to start doing all the choirs.

"But… I still need to do a few things…"

"Don't worry. We have it all under control. Mocchi wants you to meet him by the lake, so off you go!" Suezo nudged the girl forward. "We'll call you back to the camp when dinner's done!"

"Um, okay…" Holly replied with a look of mixed feelings. Sure, it was great to not have to cook, but the last time she ate their cooking she felt worse off than before. Then again, it was Hare cooking this time. "If you need anything, just ask."

"Of course! Now go! The little guy's waiting for ya!"

With that, Holly uncertainly trudged into the woods that led to the clear lake to meet with Mocchi while Suezo grinned in success. Talking Holly into leaving anything that didn't deal with fighting Baddies up to the rebels was always a difficult and nearly impossible task, but the eyeball monster knew she was still too tired to argue much. Now it was time to treat her like a queen, just as she deserved.

"Alright guys. The coast is clear. Let's get to work!"

* * *

This was a pretty long introduction chapter and part of me feels the other chapters won't be as long. I apologize if anything messed up on this chapter. I started this on Word 2007, but I finished it on my home computer that only has Word 2003. There are too many versions of that software. o_o; I hope to dish this story out fast, but then again I said that about "For Granted", too, and look how long that took. XD The whole time I was writing this I had the song "Top of the World" by The Carpenters playing on repeat. I love that song. ^_^ Anyways, the next chapter will be about the rebels attempts at showing Holly their appreciation! Will things go right? That will probably be the most comical of the chapters because Dark Fox Tailz and I have some big plans for chapter 3 that are more, uh, serious. So yeah! Thanks so much for reading!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3


	2. Chapter 2: Difficulty Operating

For one, I must apologize that this chapter took more time than expected. I had a family reunion I had to attend and I stayed a lot longer then first anticipated. I did meet a lot of nice people, though, which was cool. ^_^ Anyways, I must thank my amazing reviewers of chapter 1 that consists of ripitupgenki, inu-yusukekaiba102, Butterflygirl1234 and Dark Fox Tailz. You guys reviewed so fast and it was wonderful! Thank you! I have my Tiger plush sitting with me as I type, so he'll keep me on task!

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

**Deepening Appreciation**

**Chapter 2: Difficulty Operating**

The sky was still a wondrous color mixture of orange and red while the sun still slowly made its decent from the sky. It's warm light, though, lit up the area enough to continue activity and choirs as the campsite in the forest clearing shown with life. The rebels that had made that area their home for the night were beginning to prepare to set things up themselves instead of having their normal coordinator, the girl wielding the Magic Stone, prepare everything.

"Okay, guys, I can't start cooking until Tiger gets back with the firewood." Hare huffed as he dug through the bag containing their food supply. "We'd have to wait until the camp was ready anyways."

"Don't sound so annoyed." Tiger emerged from the darkening woods as he dragged a large branch that had many smaller branches stacked on top. Gathering firewood was a difficult task for any kind of monster without real hands. "I got your wood already, so stop your complaining."

"I wasn't complaining, Tiger. I was merely stating a true fact." The rabbit monster stated with a frown.

"Anyways." Genki cut off the duo before a fight could break out. "I'm gonna go unpack all of the new silverware and dishes. Suezo, you go set up the spot where we'll be eating. Try to make sure anything you bring back for us to sit on doesn't have sap on it like last time, okay?"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh! You mess up one time and you never hear the end of it…" Suezo trailed off with a frown as he hopped off into the woods to find some "seats".

"Golem, could you make us a table? Just chop in half a tree or something." Genki suggested to the large rock monster.

"Of course… Golem will get… us a table… to eat on…" Golem said with a smile as he stomped off in the opposite direction of Suezo. If Suezo spotted the rock monster, Golem was sure he would want his help in getting seats and would probably end up taking advantage of him as usual. Thus going in the opposite direction of the eyeball monster had become a habit.

"Great! Mocchi's getting Holly settled by the lake, so could you and Tiger set up the tent? There could be a chance of rain." The young boy asked Hare as the rabbit monster frowned.

"Set up the tent with _him_?"

"Yeah! Who says I want to work with that con artist?"

"Oh, come on you guys! We're supposed to be showing Holly we appreciate her by setting things up and allowing her to get some well deserved rest! Can't you guys go just this one night without fighting?" Genki asked with a slight hint of pleading in his voice.

"Oh… fine." Tiger huffed and nodded to Genki. "We'll set up the tent."

"I knew I could count on you!" The young boy said with a grin as he left to unpack the new dishes. After the old dishes and silverware had been ruined by the rebels' pathetic attempt to clean them, the first order of business in the last town was to replace everything. It was an expensive task, but it was the only thing they could do.

Hare mentally cursed at his luck for being stuck pitching the tent with Tiger. Part of him felt like Genki did that on purpose since he seemed to be teamed up with the canine monster quite a bit. With one last glance at Genki, who was now on the opposite side of the campsite, he let out a defeated sigh before taking out the canvas bag that contained the tent. The tent was more like a tarp and was used to shield the rebels from rain and other weather ailments. The tent had originally come with several poles to make the tent, but because of their restricted luggage the rebels had tossed away the poles and now used large branches from trees. It worked just as well.

"Tiger, go fetch some branches, would ya? You seem to be good at that." Hare asked with a smug look as he made fun of Tiger's firewood punishment. Tiger may have agreed with Genki not to fight for the day, but _he_ certainly hadn't.

Tiger held every insult he had back as he glanced over to Genki. He did say that he wouldn't fight, but how could he hold true to that if Hare egged him on? He would do his best not to fight that night, but he wouldn't make any promises, that's for sure.

"I'll go do that." The wolf monster strained every word as he slowly trudged into the woods to get a few branches. He mentally praised himself for biting back a reply, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do it all night of Hare got him going.

With Tiger gone, Hare carefully unfolded the soft fabric until it was completely laid out. He made sure every angle was perfect and he put on a smile of triumph at his good work. His precise and careful work was disturbed, though, when Tiger dropped a large branch on one of the sides of the tent, causing it to shift and become unaligned.

"Hey! Watch it, Tiger! I just had this perfect!" Hare shouted as he balled his hands into tight fists. "You're so clumsy!"

"Well, don't set up the tent where people are going to be walking!" Tiger countered as he stood over his branch and used his front claw to break off a small, stray twig. "Besides, it didn't look so perfect to me."

With courage and rage that seemed to come from thin air, Hare felt his body move before he could even think. With one powerful motion, the rabbit monster stomped onto the end of the branch causing the branch to fly up into Tiger's crotch. The canine monster couldn't even react as a horrific pain filled his entire body and he felt himself begin to fall over. A loud and slightly high pitched whine came from the bottom of his throat, which was cause for other attention.

"Hare? Tiger? What's going on?" Genki asked as he turned around from unpacking dishes only to see Tiger on the ground and Hare with a look of utter shock. The shock wore off quick, though, and Hare quickly began to laugh like never before.

"Hahahaha! Oh, Tiger! This can be looked at as a good thing! I had doubts if you were really male, but now I guess we all know! Hahahaha!"

Tiger's pain was quickly erased with absolute hatred and revenge as his word about not fighting had vanished. Genki gulped slightly at seeing the sudden change and before anyone could react, the wolf monster decided to go with the revenge style 'an eye for an eye'. Tiger launched himself at Hare before flipping in midair and bringing his back paw straight into Hare's groin. Just as Tiger did, the rabbit monster let out a pain filled yell.

* * *

Suezo huffed as he pushed another log to the edge of the campsite before he surveyed his work. Six non sappy logs were now present and now all he had to do was deliver them to the middle of the campsite (because of Golem's size, he didn't need a seat). Man, how he hated this job. With a determined sigh, Suezo slowly rolled one of the logs to the middle of the campsite before he noticed Genki finishing setting up the tent.

"Hey, Genki! I got the logs and none of them have any sap on them!" The eyeball monster stated proudly. "Wanna help me get the other five of them into the camp?"

"Uh, not really." Genki said as he finished staking in the last branch to the tent.

"Pfft. Fine." Suezo grumbled grumpily as he went to hop off, but his attention fell onto Hare and Tiger. Both monsters were on opposite sides of the campsite and both looked rather pale. "I'm not even gonna ask." The eyeball monster rolled his eye before setting off to get the other logs.

After Suezo finished setting up the logs, several loud stomps were heard coming from the forest. The trees in the surrounding woods were pushed aside like grass as Golem came marching into the campsite with a makeshift table in hand. It was clear to see that he had chopped a tree down before taking Genki's suggestion at cutting it in half and rounding the corners. As always, he had done an excellent job.

"At least we can count on someone around here." Genki sighed to himself as Golem placed the slab of wood down in the middle of where Suezo had placed the logs. At least the camp was set up now. All that was left of the choirs was Hare cooking dinner. With the other rebels, though, now they could concentrate on their goal of making Holly feel appreciated.

"Okay, guys. Operation 'Make Holly Feel Appreciated' is now in session!" Genki announced while the other rebels sweated. "The only thing is, though, how do we do that…?"

* * *

"Mocchi catch another one, chi!"

A giggle came from Holly's lips as she watched the young monster catch another fish. Mocchi loved to fish and he had a knack for the sport. She was surprised that he liked it so much since he learned it at Undine's lake and that turned out very badly, but the memory didn't keep him from doing what he loved. The only problem, though, was that tonight he had caught over twenty fish just for _her_. She had no idea why, though.

"Another fish for Holly, chi!" Mocchi squealed with delight as he placed yet another fresh catch into his pile of fish.

"That's very sweet, Mocchi, but wouldn't it be best if we shared these with the others?" Holly tried to reason once again.

"No! These fish just for Holly! Mocchi appreciates Holly, chi!" The young monster announced as he cast his fishing line again.

'_He doesn't expect me to eat all of these, does he? I could never eat all of these on my own!' _Holly thought to herself as she sweated slightly while picturing herself devouring all of the fish like an animal. _'…I have to convince him to share these.'_

"Hey, Holly!"

Before Holly could try for the fourteenth time that night to convince Mocchi that she wanted to share the fish, a voice broke her out of her thoughts. The young brunette turned to see Suezo come hopping toward her with a small cup of water. She smiled and waved to him before the eyeball monster pushed the glass into her hands.

"I thought, ya know, since you've been out here so long that you'd be thirsty."

Holly blinked in surprise several times as she looked from Suezo, to the glass of water, and back to Suezo again. Suezo, the laziest and most self centered monster she'd ever met (she still loved him, though!) had come all the way from the campsite just to bring her a cup of water? The young girl was speechless for several minutes as she stared at her monster in surprise. In all of the years she had been with him, Suezo wasn't the kind of monster that tended to do things for others. He was more of a self gain kind of monster like Hare and most of the time Tiger.

"…you came all this way… to bring me water?" Holly asked in confusion and shock.

"Of course, Holly! Only the best for you!" Suezo smiled with triumph as he patted the young girl's head lovingly with his tongue, although he didn't even seem to notice her confusion. She quickly snapped out of it, though, and a warm smile spread on her lips.

"Why, thank you, Suezo! That was very sweet of you!" Holly grinned as she happily took a sip of the water. This was a strange, but not unwelcoming change.

"Anytime! I'll see you later!" The eyeball monster called from behind him as he hopped off toward the direction of the camp, leaving Holly to still gawk slightly at what had just happened.

"…that was odd…" Holly whispered to herself as she stared down at the cup. She really did appreciate Suezo's act of kindness, but it was still rather unusual. With a shrug, the young brunette drank another sip of water before handing the cup to Mocchi, who drank the rest of it thirstily.

"Suezo being nice, chi." The baby monster said with a smile as he recasted his fishing line.

"He's generally nice, but that was a little above and beyond for him." The young girl said with a smile, but her smile faded as she watched Mocchi get another fish on his line. _'Oh, no… Not another one!'_

"Got another fish, chi! This one's the biggest!" Mocchi giggled with happiness as he pulled in a rather large trout. "This one you eat first, 'kay?"

Holly laughed with hesitation as Mocchi placed the fish with the others, and she couldn't tell if the fish was staring at her or not. "But Mocchi, Tiger's a lot bigger than me and needs to eat more. Why not give it to him? I'm sure he'd appreciate it." The brunette tried to reason, but the baby monster ignored her slight plea as he casted his line once again.

"Hey Holly!"

Another voice rang through the forest and Holly could see a fast moving Genki coming toward her on his roller blades. Before she could ask what was going on, the young boy took her hands and had her cup them together before he dropped three ripe strawberries into her hands.

"Strawberries? For me?"

"Don't worry, Holly. When I found these I made sure to check with Golem first to see if they were edible. There were only three and, well, I wanted you to have them." The young boy said with a small blush on his face. Genki could see Holly's face light up with pure happiness as her eyes wavered from his gift. It was a difficult task to find the small fruit, but the look on the girl's face made it all worth it.

"Oh, Genki, I love them! Thank you so much!" Holly exclaimed as her face flushed red, and part of her didn't want to eat the fruit now because of their personal value. "You didn't have to do this for me."

"I know, but I wanted to." Genki said with his trademark grin. "I have some things I gotta do, so I'll catch ya later!" With that said the boy rollerbladed away, leaving Holly to look down at the strawberries in her hands with admiration.

"…can Mocchi have one, chi?"

The young monster stared at Holly's newly received gift with large eyes that reflected his hunger. The brunette smiled as she plucked the green stem off one of the fruit before handing it to Mocchi to eat. The baby monster took it happily as he ate the strawberry in one bite while Holly ate her's slowly to savoir the moment. The last strawberry she gave to Mocchi, knowing that he was always hungry and her mothering instinct couldn't allow her to eat while the baby monster was still hungry.

"That was the sweetest strawberry I ever had." Holly said with a smile as she licked the sweet juice from her lips.

"Yeah, chi! Yummy! Thanks, Holly!"

Holly giggled and patted the young monster on the head as he went back to his fishing. Before the girl could try and convince Mocchi that it was best to share the fish, her name was shouted out once again which caused her to look over with puzzlement.

"…Golem? What's going on?" Holly asked as the rock giant stomped over to the girl's side.

"Here, Holly… Golem found… a flower… for you…" Golem said as he held out his large hand. In his palm was a small pink flower that seemed to sparkle when the setting sun hit it. Holly's eyes widened as a smile formed on her face and she gently took the flower before tucking it behind her ear.

"It's beautiful, Golem! Thank you!" The young girl thanked with a smile as Golem beamed from her reaction before he wordlessly stomped back to the camp. When the rock giant left, Holly felt herself touch the flower gently with the tips of her fingers to feel the soft pedals. _'I wonder why everyone's giving me so much attention? First Mocchi, then Suezo, then Genki, and then Golem. I wonder what the occasion is? My birthday isn't for a while…'_ The wielder of the Magic Stone thought to herself in slight confusion.

"Holly!"

Suezo came hopping toward the girl with a smile on his face while Holly watched with confusion. The eyeball monster held out a round object for the brunette to take, and when she picked up the item she could see it was a flawless peach.

"I thought since Hare won't be done with the stew for awhile that you may want something to snack on." Suezo stated with pride as Holly only blinked at him for a moment. What was going on?

"Oh! Uh, thank you Suezo! I could wait to eat like the rest of you…"

"Nonsense! We had a long journey so eat up and relax." The eyeball monster responded with a wink before he hopped back toward the campsite, leaving Holly to sweat slightly. The girl looked down at the savory fruit and she felt her stomach almost scream to eat it. Her body was still weak from the illness so she slightly craved for the nutrients. With a shrug, the girl used her dagger to cut the fruit in half before giving the other half to Mocchi, who ate it graciously before getting back to his fishing concentration.

The moment the duo finished eating; Holly's name was called out once again from the distance. Genki came barreling through the trees on his rollerblades before he skidded to a halt in front of Holly. "Hey, Holly! How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing very good, thank you." Holly replied with surprise. He came all the way to the lake to ask how she was doing? "So… um… how are you, Genki?"

"I'm doing great! I gotcha something!" With that Genki tore through his book bag before he pulled out a small blanket. "The sun's setting and the nights are cold so I brought you this to keep you warm." The young boy said with a grin as he unfolded the blanket and placed it over Holly's shoulders.

"You didn't have to do that! Thank you so much! You're quite the gentleman." Holly thanked as she blushed and held the blanket closer to herself. "…thank you…"

"Hahaha, anytime, Holly! I'll be back soon!" Genki said bashfully before he, once again, headed off back to the camp. The area fell silent once the boy was gone and Holly already missed his company.

"Holly…!"

Golem's footsteps could be heard as he broke into the clearing and smiled down at the girl, who returned his smile. "Hi, Golem. Do you guys need any help at the camp?" Holly offered, but Golem quickly shook his head.

"No… everything is under… control for now… I came to… bring you this…" The rock monster said as he handed Holly a small cup of tea. "Golem knows… how much Holly… loves tea…"

The warm cup was taken into Holly's hand as she felt the steam rise into her face and allowed her to smell its wondrous scent of green leaves. Golem knew her well and he knew of her love for simple teas. "Wow! Thank you, Golem! Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes… Golem knows many… kinds of herbs… and plants…" The rock giant replied with a smile. "Golem will… see you later…" With that, Golem slowly stomped away leaving Holly to blow lightly onto the hot tea. She felt happy to be treated so nicely by everyone, but something felt off. Again she felt like she was left out from the group since everyone seemed to know something she didn't.

She didn't know what was going on, but she intended to find out.

* * *

"NO, I WAS GONNA GIVE HER A MANGO!"

"THAT WAS MY IDEA AND YOU STOLE IT!"

Suezo and Genki scowled at each other as they argued about what to give Holly next. They were running out of ideas, and it was becoming more difficult to find her things to please her. Golem emerged from the woods to see his companions fighting again and he felt himself sigh softly.

"YOU TOOK MY STRAWBERRY IDEA!"

"NO WAY! THAT WAS MY IDEA FROM THE START!"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!"

Tiger's shout snapped the fighting rebels out of their bickering as they turned to the wolf monster. He grinned slightly as he gave the other rebels a smug look. "There's no need to fight, now is there?"

"Okay, what's gotten into you?" Suezo asked curiously as Tiger let out a low laugh. The eyeball monster almost added that maybe his mood changed after he was hit in the groin, but he wanted to live to see tomorrow, so he held off.

"Me? Well, I only have an idea that I've been working on that will make Holly so happy that it'll make you guys look as pathetic as Monol." The wolf monster said with a grin as he strode back under the tent. He had been in the tent for awhile now since he had been working on Holly's gift.

"…he's gotta be bluffing." Suezo mumbled as he hopped away from the other rebels.

"Yeah, he couldn't possibly make Holly happy." Hare muttered as he stirred the stew slowly and allowed it a moment to simmer. He was still feeling the pain from his earlier fight with Tiger so his mood was a little sour. "He's just pulling our legs. My stew will make Holly feel the most appreciated."

"Pfft, you wish." Genki huffed as he leaned up against Golem's leg. "Holly liked my ideas the best."

"Now way, Genki. She liked mine best!"

"In your dreams! You gave her water and a peach! My strawberries and blanket were way better!"

"Enough arguing… we need to… prepare for… dinner…" Golem stated wisely. The last thing they needed was another fight to break out.

"My stew should be done within a half hour, so set the table you guys." Hare replied.

"I'll be right back." Tiger announced and before anyone could question him, the wolf monster disappeared into the woods.

"Of course he leaves then I mentioned setting the table." Hare grumbled.

"…is this some kind of contest?"

All the rebels turned when they heard the quiet voice to see Holly standing at the edge of the camp with Mocchi in tow, carrying a sack of fish. Her eyes shone with hurt as she turned to Genki with a frown on her face, and he knew she had heard his entire argument with Suezo and the other's' comments. "…Genki, would you take a walk with me…?"

Genki felt himself get extremely uncomfortable at being singled out, but he nodded his head anyways and slipped on his boots and put his rollerblades on the back of his book bag. After hearing their talk, he knew Holly wanted an explanation and he wouldn't keep that from her. "…yeah, let's go."

With a small nod to the boy next to her, Holly and Genki slowly marched side-by-side into the woods in complete silence. Mocchi watched the duo go before he placed his batch of his near the dinner table. He could feel the tension between everyone and even though he was young, Mocchi knew Holly was feeling a little hurt.

With Holly, Genki, and especially Tiger gone, Hare felt his curiosity perk up about what Tiger's gift was. With a sly grin the rabbit monster quickly made his way over to the tent where Tiger had been preparing his gift for Holly. "…I wonder what he's making…?"

With one glance to make sure the other rebels weren't looking, Hare quickly entered the tent. To his amazement, he was met with a large ice stature of the Phoenix. The ice shimmered with glory and wonder as Hare's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't even imagine how long Tiger had been working on it with his Blizzard attack and using his claws and horns to carve out the ice, but his work had surely paid off. The rabbit monster felt defeat rise in his chest, for he knew Holly's love of the Phoenix was beyond words and that Tiger's statue would surely fill the girl with hope of finding the legendary bird. Tiger was right when he said his idea would make Holly the happiest. With a frown, Hare slowly turned around to leave the tent, but suddenly he felt his leg hit into one of the branches holding up the tent. The rabbit monster did his best to hold it up, but the other end of the tent came undone and fell straight onto the statue. Hare watched in horror as the wondrous ice sculpture crashed into the ground and shattered into hundreds of little pieces.

"…oh no…" Was all Hare could whisper out as he looked down at the ruined statue.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Tiger's shout of rage and shear shock broke into the campsite as the other rebels looked at the scene before them. Ice splinters covered the ground as Hare shifted in discomfort. He really hadn't meant that to happen.

"Tiger, I can explain…"

"Shut you trap, rabbit! Look what you've done!"

"I know! Tiger, you gotta believe me when I say it was an accident!"

"Yeah right! You got so jealous that your pathetic stew couldn't beat my statue, so you broke it!"

"That's not true! Honest!"

With an angered growl, Tiger stomped over to Hare stew before he kicked the pot over, causing the contents to splatter all over the ground. The other rebels gulped as they looked at each other with looks of uncertainty. Not only was a fight brewing, but now they also lost dinner.

"TIGER! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT!"

Hare clenched his fists together in anger, but suddenly his expression became extremely calm as he once again untied his red bandana that he had around his neck and tossed it over to where he had the rest of his belongings. "Well, Tiger, how about we take a walk so we can talk things out?"

Tiger looked at the rabbit monster like he had nine ears, but by the angered look on his face he quickly got Hare's drift. "That sounds like a plan. Come on."

The other rebels watched the duo leave with confusion, but they didn't question them. Questioning them when they were in this kind of state was  
completely crazy. Suezo shook his head as he looked down at their ruined dinner while Golem slowly began to fix the tent. Mocchi watched the two angry monsters leave the campsite with a frown on his face before he ran over to help Golem.

Operation 'Make Holly Feel Appreciated' didn't turn out as planned.

* * *

My Tiger plush really did keep me on task. Even Hare and Mocchi joined him in inspiring me, so I'll give them lots of hugs for helping me with this. XD Dark Fox Tailz had the hit to the groin idea, and when I read his message I couldn't stop laughing. XD This wasn't really funny at all, so I'll probably end up switching the genre from humor to something else. Oh and for some reason when I was 10 years old, when I first saw Tiger use his Blizzard attack, my sister and I made a joke that he would make a great ice sculpture maker. So that explains the ice Phoenix sculpture part. XD My eyes hurt, so I'm done for the night. Thanks everyone for reading and your reviews are LOVED! On to chapter 3 now!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking Point

Sorry this took long since I took a break because my wrists have been killing me. Carpal tunnel isn't any fun. ;_; Again, thanks for reviewing! It really does make my day! Anyways, Dark Fox Tailz gave me a lot of ideas to work with on this chapter. I'm not so good at writing fight scenes yet, but this was great practice for me so I can work better with "Delusions of the Heart". I also didn't want to make this too violent since that's not what this story is supposed to focus on, but it kinda turned out that way. It does make for a good climax, though. ^_^ Dark Fox Tails had the idea to make this chapter jump back and forth between Tiger/Hare and Genki/Holly. This way it gives equal amount of time to both companies and it will add up to the final moment of the chapter. Oh, and when I put Tiger/Hare, that's not implying anything! Honest! XD Anyways, enjoy!

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

**Deepening Appreciation**

**Chapter 3: Breaking Point**

The sun was nearly at the end of its setting time as a duo consisting of two monsters slowly made their way into the forest in complete silence. Crickets stopped chirping as the purebred Hare and Tiger monsters pushed their way through the thick woods with determination and anger written on both of their faces. The evening had taken a turn for the worst, and at this point there was no going back. Tonight, they were going to finish their endless feuding. The awkward walk seemed to last for hours, but it was only a few minutes before they found themselves at the shore of the lake. The water was still as the light from the sun reflected off its surface along with the reflections of Tiger and Hare, who stood facing each other several feet apart.

"…why did you do it…?" The voice of Tiger broke through the empty silence as Hare looked at the wolf monster in confusion, but he quickly picked up on his meaning.

"I didn't break your present on purpose, Tiger! You ruined my soup for no reason!" The rabbit monster scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No reason? How can you say that? I had every reason to ruin your soup. You were jealous that Holly would have loved my gift so you turned around and destroyed it. You never change."

"For the last time, mutt, I didn't break your statue! That thing was ugly anyways." Hare huffed in annoyance and anger as he balled his hand into a fist. "I've had all I can take of you! I'm done! I'm not gonna take anymore of your crap, Tiger!"

Tiger felt himself growl as he clenched his jaw in absolute anger. He had enough of letting Hare slide every time something came up. "Good then! I've been looking forward to kicking your ass for a very long time."

With that said, Tiger was the first to leap into action. The wolf monster leapt back before charging forward at Hare while his horns began to collect electricity. The nimble rabbit monster leapt away from Tiger's head strong attack and his eyes widened when he saw the canine monster whip around and lean his head forward.

"LIGHTNING ATTACK!"

A burst of electricity shot forth from Tiger's horns aimed at Hare, but the rabbit monster rolled to the side and out of harms way. That didn't stop the attack from moving, though, and the electricity blasted into the side of a small pine tree. The bark blew off the mid section of the tree while splinters seemed to litter the ground as it blew around like confetti. The power of gravity took its toll as the pine tree snapped in half on its own weight before slamming into the ground.

Hare let out a sigh of relief that the tree hadn't been him, but he felt sweat form on his forehead as Tiger's horns began to crackle with power once again. With a snarl, the wolf monster let off one Lightning Attack after the other as Hare had to leap and roll in order to dodge the ruthless attacks. The rabbit monster barely had time to duck as a stray Lightning Attack just missed his head and instead blew through another tree.

"Stay still, you money grubbing furball, so I can fry your sorry hide!"

"Now where's the fun in that, Tiger? You know me better than that, you mangy mutt!"

"Grrr…! Torpedo Attack!"

Hare barley flipped out of the way of the incoming attack before he landed on his feet and let out a tired huff. He knew that Tiger knew he couldn't dodge forever, and it was already taking its toll. The attack from Tiger hit several trees on the opposite side of the lake, but the rabbit monster paid no attention to it.

'_What am I gonna do? I don't have any long distance attacks like he does!' _Hare thought to himself as he watched Tiger prepare another Torpedo Attack. _'I have to act fast or I'm toast!'_

"Lightning Attack!" Tiger shouted as electricity once again shot from his horns straight at his target. This time, however, Hare didn't dodge it. Instead, the rabbit monster ran toward the attack before his hands began to glow.

"DRAGON PUNCH!" Hare shouted as his fist went straight through the steam of electricity before his fist connected with Tiger's jaw. The canine monster leapt backwards and growled as he tasted a little blood in his mouth which didn't make him any happier.

"You're gonna pay for that! Blizzard!" Tiger shouted as a stream of icy air shot out from his mouth aimed straight at Hare. The rabbit, monster, though, had other plans.

"Fire melts ice, Tiger! Anyone with half a brain knows that! Dragon Kick!" Hare shouted as he launched himself at Tiger with his foot extended. That rabbit monster's foot quickly became engulfed in flames that torn through the icy attack that had been launched at him. Tiger's eyes widened before he rolled out of the way of Hare's attack as the rabbit monster's foot connected with a small tree; scorching its bark into a blackened scar.

Both monsters were breathing heavy, but neither of the two would back down at this point.

* * *

The sky was still lit up slightly from the setting sun, and a company consisting of two young humans was using it to their advantage to maneuver around in the dense forest. Genki found himself unable to start up a conversation as he awkwardly walked next to Holly. She wore a look of puzzlement and determination as she cut away another vine with her dagger to clear them a path. Since the two had left camp, not a word had passed either of their lips. The silence was killing the young boy, but he didn't want to say anything to upset the wielder of the Magic Stone, either. He knew she was already tired from both her past ailment and from the journey that day, so he couldn't tell what kind of mood she was in. Suddenly, the duo found themselves at the base of a huge tree. Neither of the humans could see where the tree stopped, and it looked like it truly touched the sky.

"Whoa…" Genki whispered as he craned his neck to look up at the wondrous tree. He could only imagine how old it was and how many people had stood staring at it in awe like him.

"…hey, Holly?"

"Hm? Yes, Genki?"

"Let's climb it."

Holly found herself turning to gawk at the young boy as she shook her head nervously and she began to play with the hem of her vest from discomfort. "I… I can't Genki. I don't really… like heights." The young girl stuttered with slight embarrassment while she put her dagger back in its sheath.

"Aw, don't worry, Holly. You wanted us to talk, and that's the perfect place! We won't go up very far. Don't worry, Holly. I'll make sure you don't fall." Genki stated with a smile as he watched the brunette think about his words before caving in and nodding her head. As always, she couldn't seem to say no to him.

With a 'whoop' of success, Genki quickly ran up to the massive tree before beginning to climb it like a spider monkey. Holly watched the boy with amazement before she slowly began to make her way up the winding branches, though the fear in the back of her mind never dispersed. What took Genki about three minutes took Holly about ten as she finally made it up close to where Genki had placed himself. As promised, he hadn't gone up too high, though it was high enough to make Holly a little queasy. The girl slowly began to try and pull herself up to the branch Genki was on, but suddenly she felt fatigue from her past illness sweep over her body and her foot slip on the branch beneath her. Holly felt a scream rise into her throat, but before it was released Genki's hand shot out to grab her own and she felt herself get pulled forward to get her footing. With a relieved sigh, the brunette looked up to see Genki wearing one of his trademark grins before he gently helped to pull her up to the branch he was currently on.

"See? I told you I wouldn't let you fall." The young boy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Genki." Holly said with a relieved sigh as she maneuvered her legs around to sit facing toward the horizon.

"What a great view, huh?" Genki asked with a grin as Holly carefully sat next to the boy. The young girl had to admit that the view was amazing. With the sky still slightly lit, it made the trees in the distance look like a burning mountain. The red and orange mixture reminded Holly of the Phoenix, and she subconsciously found herself clutch the Magic Stone around her neck.

"Yeah, it is…" Holly whispered quietly. The duo fell into an awkward silence once again as they found themselves looking in opposite direction from one another, though Holly did her best not to look down. Doing that would definitely be a bad idea. The girl, though, was still curious and decided it was now or never to ask about the way the group had been acting around her.

"Genki… why have you guys been giving me things?"

"Did you not like them?"

"What? No, no! I liked everything you guys brought to me." Holly quickly corrected as she saw Genki looking a little worried. "It's just… I don't understand why you guys are giving me things. I feel like I'm missing something and it makes me feel… excluded."

Genki watched as Holly looked down at her hands in her lap with a look of uncertainty. The young boy had to admit, their change of behavior had to have been puzzling to the wielder of the Magic Stone.

"Holly… we didn't mean for things to turn out like they did. It's just, when you were sick, we didn't really think much about it at first." Genki explained as he watched the girl look at him with interest. "We just thought you had a cold or something. It wasn't until we had to do everything on our own that we started to think differently."

"…differently…?"

"Yeah. None of us could cook, clean, find directions or anything like that! We were completely lost. Then, when we brought you to the hospital, things got worse. We found out that you didn't have some kind of cold and that you were _really_ sick. Seeing you in that hospital bed with tubes hooked up to your arms and seeing you so frail was awful. That first night you were in the hospital, the other guys and me were talking about how much you take good care of us and how we never show you our gratitude. So we got the idea that we wanted to show you our appreciation which was why we gave you all that stuff. By the end, though, I guess we got kinda caught up in the moment and it turned into a competition. I'm sorry, Holly." Genki frowned as he looked at Holly with a look if sincerity and guilt. "I guess we didn't make you feel appreciated, huh?"

"Appreciation…?" Holly questioned to herself before a smile formed on her face and she giggled to herself, causing Genki to look at her with confusion.

"What's so funny?" The young boy huffed with slight annoyance as he watched Holly smile at him and let out a relived sigh.

"Oh, Genki. I'm sorry. It's just, this whole time I thought that maybe you guys were giving me stuff because maybe you guys did something wrong or that maybe you guys were giving me things because you were trying to bribe me into doing something." Holly said with a giggle as she watched Genki become less tense.

"Really? Well, I guess we were acting a little differently." The young boy said with a smile.

"I knew something was strange the minute Suezo came to bring me water. Suezo, of all people, came to bring me something. I knew something was out of place after that moment." Holly grinned when she saw Genki's mood brightened.

"Hahaha! Yeah, that is out of character!" Genki laughed and the young girl next to him joined him with his laughter.

"The thing is, Genki, is that you have this whole appreciation thing wrong." Holly stated as she became a little more serious, and the young boy next to her quieted down and looked at her with confusion. Wasn't giving things to people the best way to show appreciation…?

* * *

The once peaceful lake scene that Holly had enjoyed earlier that day was tainted with hatred, blood and anger as two tired monsters glared at each other from afar. Hare breathed heavily and wiped away some sweat from his forehead before he put his fists up in a boxing stance while Tiger snarled and flexed his claws. Now that the rabbit monster had found a way to get through Tiger's long distance attacks, it was time to use his teeth and claws. Just because he couldn't punch like Hare didn't mean he was at a disadvantage by any means. He was armed with natural defenses that he was accustomed to using.

"Come on, bunny, and put your money where your mouth is." Tiger huffed as he tiredly drew in a breath of air. He didn't want to admit it, but the wolf monster was feeling the side affects of all the dodging he had been doing. His jaw still stung from where Hare had punched him and he could still taste the hint of blood in his mouth.

"With pleasure!" Hare replied as he shot forward with extreme speed as he bolted to Tiger's side before slamming his fist into the canine monster's side. Before Tiger could catch his breath, Hare brought his knee into the wolf monster's gut before his fist connected with the side of Tiger's muzzle. Tiger staggered backwards before he was able to over the initial shock of being hit so hard.

Tiger growled before he launched himself forward and head butted Hare right in his stomach. The rabbit monster saw stars as he was hit forward and landed painfully onto his back on the lake shore. The moist soil snapped the rabbit monster out of his shock, but not soon enough as Tiger leapt onto of the fallen monster before digging his claws into the flesh of his belly. Hare winced in pain as he maneuvered his left foot up onto Tiger's stomach in an attempt to push him off, but the wolf monster wouldn't budge even when Hare began to rake his foot claws on Tiger's chest. The wolf monster growled in pain as his chest wounds began to bleed before he started to scrape up Hare's upper arms with his claws and the surrounding dirt and small plant life were ripped from the ground as the wolf monster's claws tore through anything in his path. With quick thinking, Hare quickly grabbed into one of his paws before he pulled Tiger forward and head butted him in the face, but in doing so Hare could feel his upper tooth become dislodged and he quickly spit it out with a mixture of spit and blood.

Tiger staggered backwards from the blow to the head, and he quickly found himself being forced onto the damp ground in a head lock. The wolf monster tried to struggle free, but Hare had a tight hold around his neck that didn't seem to want to break any time soon. Tiger snarled before he sunk his teeth into Hare's arm, causing the rabbit monster to shout and release his opponent.

Both monsters were caked with mud and were breathing heavily, but that didn't stop either of them from taking a fighting stance. The two ran at each other before Tiger launched himself into Hare, causing the rabbit monster to stagger backward, but straight away Tiger bit onto Hare's right leg and the rabbit monster fell down with a pain laced yell. Hare's fist connected with the top of Tiger's head as he continued to pound on the wolf's monster's head with all of his strength. Suddenly, Hare's fist came cracking down right above Tiger's left eye, causing the skin to split and begin to bleed. Tiger could no longer take the abuse and released his hold on his opponent's leg as he shook off the pain in his head. Hare's leg was adorned with small bite marks, but that didn't stop him from running forward to launch another attack at Tiger. With the wolf monster still dazed, Hare went to kick Tiger in the head, but his plan back fired when Tiger turned his head down and Hare's left foot went straight into Tiger's horn. The horn pierced through the bottom of Hare's foot as he let out a scream laced with pain. The rabbit monster jumped away with a limp before he turned back around to face Tiger.

Even with their injuries, though, the two monsters bit back the pain and went back into fighting stances. It wasn't over yet between the two of them.

* * *

Genki looked at Holly with puzzlement as she looked at him with gentle eyes and a soft smile. What had she meant by he had the idea of appreciation wrong? The young boy was confused, and it obviously showed because Holly placed her hand slowly over his before lacing his fingers with hers. It was simple, yet meaningful action that caused both humans to blush, but neither of them pulled their hands away.

"Genki, giving people gifts is one way to show appreciation, but it isn't the entire meaning behind it." Holly said in a soothing voice.

"It isn't? Then what else can we do to show you we appreciate you?" Genki asked with a confused frown as he tightened his grip slightly on Holly's hand.

"That's just it; you don't have to do anything."

"…huh?"

Holly giggled to herself as she seemed to try to come up with the words to say next. Explaining topics like this was a little difficult, but the young girl tended to be pretty good at it. Holly closed her eyes for moment to think things through, before she turned to look back over at Genki with a smile on her face.

"Appreciation can be shown in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it's nice to get a person a gift and sometimes it's as simple as saying a nice 'thank you'." Holly explained to the young boy sitting next to her.

"That's just it, though. We never get you gifts and we never say 'thank you' for anything you do for us! I don't know how you've put up with being taken for granted for so long." Genki huffed with guilt as he looked down uncomfortably.

"Genki… I don't need you guys to give me gifts. Thank you's are nice to hear, too, but I don't need to hear it to make me feel appreciated. I feel appreciated everyday without gifts and thanks." The wielder of the Magic Stone replied as she gave Genki's hand a small, but comforting squeeze.

"Huh? How do you feel appreciated? We don't do anything for you!" Genki exclaimed as he looked at Holly with confusion.

"Like I said, I don't need gifts and kind words to make me feel appreciated every day. Every time I make a stew, just seeing the looks on everyone's faces lets me know just how much you guys appreciate me. Every time we get to a fork in the road, just seeing everyone turn to me for directions with looks of anticipation makes me feel appreciated, especially after I've consoled the Magic Stone and I watch everyone's moods rise. If anything, I feel like I don't show my appreciation to _you guys_ enough." Holly admitted with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Genki asked with curiosity,

"Well… think about it. Hare does all of our planning and strategies, but I never thank him for being our team planner. I never thanked Tiger for joining us and even staying with us after he found out about Grey Wolf. I don't thank Mocchi for traveling with us even though it means he's growing up in a world based on war and battles. Suezo's stuck with me since the beginning, but I never thanked him for staying with me and for being there for me all the time. Even after our village was destroyed, he stayed calm and kept me from losing my path. Golem should get thanks from me all the time. He's always saving me and protecting me from Baddies. And then there's you, Genki."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You got brought here from another world and I put you into danger. You joined my quest for the Phoenix without question and have been with me ever since. Even though you had nothing to do with the war with Moo, you jumped right into it because you joined me. You're always saving me and fighting the battles that should be mine. I never thanked you for anything and I don't think I could ever repay you for all the things you've done for me."

The duo became quiet while everything that Holly had said sunk into Genki's mind. From the meaning behind appreciation all the way to how Holly appreciates him, the information finally dawned on the young boy before a smile formed on his face. He finally understood Holly's meaning and he quickly turned to the young girl.

"Thanks, Holly, for everything." Genki said with a grin.

"No… thank you, Genki." Holly replied with a smile to match his as both humans began to laugh softly at the irony of everything. At this point, the young boy was glad that Holly had wanted to talk with him since now he felt like the two had grown a little closer in understanding each other.

"…just for kicks, though, whose gifts did you like best?" Genki asked with a grin as he watched Holly blink several times in confusion.

"You're _still_ wondering about that?" The young girl asked with a nervous laugh, and her question was answered when the young boy nodded his head quickly. "Alright, I'll tell you if that'll make you happy. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone, though. I don't want any fights breaking out in the camp. Okay?"

"I promise!" Genki replied with a grin. The wielder of the Magic Stone knew she could take his word for it since he had gone as far as to punch Pixie in the face over a promise. That takes some serious dedication.

"Alright… your gifts…" Holly replied quietly as Genki perked up.

"How do I know you're not just saying that to make me happy?"

"Do you trust me?"

Genki nodded his head and his grin remained on his face. Although it wasn't supposed to be a contest, something about pleasing Holly the most was something that made him extremely proud. Part of him really wanted to brag to Suezo about it, but he would never break a promise; especially to Holly.

"Come on, Genki. We should head back to camp. The sun's already set." Holly noted as she looked up to see the outline of the oncoming moon. "Knowing Suezo he's probably going crazy right now."

Genki laughed as he nodded in agreement before he slowly (and reluctantly) let go of Holly's hand before he began to scurry down the tree almost as fast as he had climbed it. Holly was far more cautious and slow as she carefully made her way down the tree. Going down seemed to be more intimidating, though, and Holly found herself looking down at the ground with a lump in her throat. Heights were not her specialty at all.

"Come on, Holly! You're almost down!"

"W-why did I e-ever let you talk me into c-climbing up this t-tree?" Holly stuttered fearfully as she clutched onto the branch with a death grip.

"Just let go, Holly, and I'll catch you!"

"What? I can't do that, Genki! I just can't!"

"Do you trust me?"

Holly felt her words get thrown back at her as she nodded her head slowly. She had always trusted Genki with her life before; why not now? With a deep breath of air taken in her lungs and one last look down at Genki, Holly closed her eyes and released her hold on the branch. The young girl could hear the wind buzzing past her ears as her decent followed, but her body landed safely in the arms of her comrade. Holly slowly opened her eyes to look up at Genki, who was looking down at her with a gentle smile.

"See? I told you I wouldn't let you fall." Genki said with a grin as he reused his words from earlier. The girl in his arms shivered slightly from the fear of falling and from the chilly air, but that didn't stop her from returning his smile and letting out a small laugh. He was right again; he hadn't let her fall.

Genki carefully let Holly get to her feet before the duo looked off to the direction of the campsite. It was dark, but at least Holly had made them a path earlier. Without a word, Genki gently took Holly's hand in his own before the two humans slowly began to make their way back to the camp. The walk seemed to go faster than before, but Genki felt it was probably because things had been cleared up between himself and Holly.

When the duo arrived back at the camp, they immediately knew something was wrong. Golem was still sweeping away some already melting ice shards while Suezo was helping to clean up the area around the campfire that was still littered with spilt stew.

"Guys? What's going on?" Genki asked in confusion, but suddenly his eyes widened as he looked over to Mocchi. The baby monster was sleeping soundly next to a tree, but in his hands was Hare's red bandana. _'The last time Hare took that off, him and Tiger were fighting!'_ Genki thought frantically to himself.

"Suezo?" Holly called her monster gently.

"Geez, Holly! I was worried about you!" Suezo scowled as he hopped over to the girl's side before hugging her close with his tongue. "You shouldn't have been out for so long! It's been an hour! I thought that maybe you guys ran into Baddies or that you passed out in your weak state or maybe that Genki tried to make a pass at you or-"

"Suezo!" Holly scowled from embarrassment as her cheeks flushed red. "I'm fine, so don't worry! Where are Tiger and Hare?"

"Pfft, them? They snapped, Holly."

"Snapped?"

"Yeah. Hare was cooking dinner for you while Tiger was making you some ice sculpture. Well, I assume it was an ice sculpture since whatever broke in the tent was made of ice…"

"Well, what happened?" The young girl asked as she tried to make her monster get to the point.

"Oh, right! Well, Tiger left for a minute and Hare wanted to see what Tiger was making so he snuck into the tent. I didn't see what happened, but according to Hare he accidently shattered it. Tiger was so peeved that he dumped out the stew so I'm still really hungry…"

"What about Tiger and Hare?" Holly asked with aspiration.

"Oh! They suddenly got really calm and both of them left the camp about an hour ago. They were heading toward the lake. None of us were gonna say anything to them about it." Suezo finished with a frown.

"Oh no… I need to go talk to them! This is all because of me!" Holly exclaimed as she went to go off to the lake, but Genki quickly grabbed her wrist.

"I'm coming with you. Maybe we can talk some sense into them."

"What about us?" Suezo asked with a frown as he motioned to the other monsters with his tongue.

"Stay here. Neither of those two would listen to any of you guys, but Tiger seems to listen to me sometimes and everyone listens to Holly. We'll be back." Genki stated as he grabbed his book bag that had his rollerblades strapped to the back before he nodded to Holly. "Alright, let's go."

With that, both humans quickly began their trek through the woods with only each other's presence as any source of comfort. After all; they didn't know what they expected to find.

* * *

The moon shone its reflection brightly off the surface of the lake, but because of the situation it gave the area an eerie glow. Dozens of the surrounding trees had been either knocked down completely, had scorch marks or had some kind of marking on them, including claw marks and dents, at this point. If Hare and Tiger had been getting tired before, they were really at their limits now. Both monsters let out ragged breaths of air as they did their best to stay focused on the battle. Small cuts and scratches covered their bodies, but both monsters pretended not to notice. Their fur was matted and ruffled in most areas which gave them both a wild and savage look.

Although Tiger was exhausted, he was still an extremely fast monster. He could feel his body weakening, so he knew this fight had to end soon. Considering they had started before the sun set and now the moon had been out for awhile, he knew they had to have been fighting for quite some time now. With a quick glare, Tiger ran forward at Hare before head butting the rabbit monster in the gut. Hare felt his feet fly out from under him as his back collided with the hard ground and he subconsciously let out a small gasp. Before Tiger could finish him off, Hare grabbed a handful of dirt before flinging it into the wolf monster's face. Tiger reeled back and growled in pain as he tried to open his eyes, but to no avail. Hare may have been a good monster now, but he still knew some cheap tricks. Tiger knew Hare was still recovering from his earlier attack, so the wolf monster blindly ran forward before turning around and whipping Hare across the eyes with his tail. It was a cheap maneuver Grey Wolf had used on him during their battle, but it was only fair since Hare had also pulled a cheap move. Hare scrabbled to his feet before trying his best to open his sore eyes, but he didn't have a chance before Tiger jumped up on his hind legs and he felt Tiger's paws come up on his shoulders and the wolf monster's jaw latch onto his collarbone.

With as much strength as he could muster, Hare, who was now standing on his tiptoes, wrapped his arms around Tiger's midsection in what look like a hug before he began to squeeze as tightly as he could. The wolf monster's grip loosened on Hare's collarbone as he felt his stomach getting painfully compressed by Hare's death grip. His anger rose, though and his bite became as powerful as a bear trap. The two monsters stayed like this for several painful minutes as they tried to make the other give up using their brute strength and raw power on one another.

With the two monsters being fully focused on their battle, they didn't hear two new arrivals show up on the scene. Genki and Holly felt their eyes grow wide and their breath catch in their throats at the scene before them. They knew a fight would be taking place because of Hare's abandoned bandana, but they weren't expecting it to be so intense.

"Tiger! Hare! Stop, please!" Holly pleaded from the sideline, but neither of the monsters seemed to hear her.

"We gotta stop this!" Genki mumbled as he looked over to his companion. "I'm gonna try restraining Hare." He said with determination before he ran behind the rabbit monster. With a small gulp, Genki threw his arms around Hare and attempted to pry the rabbit monster off of Tiger.

Holly nodded and followed his suite as she ran to Tiger's side before wrapping her arms around the canine monster's neck. Because of Tiger's weak state, it only took a little pull from Holly before the wolf monster lost his grip on Hare and landed on his four paws, though the girl kept her hold on Tiger.

Hare felt his body go ridged as he felt an unknown being grab him from behind, and immediately his fighting instinct flared since he couldn't see well with Tiger's tail attack on his eyes. With one swift motion, Hare swiftly spun around before brutally punching Genki in the stomach. The young boy doubled over in pain as he let go of the rabbit monster and held his stomach painfully while gritting his teeth from the pain. The boy muttered a few incoherent words as he did his best to bite back the throbbing pain. Suddenly, Hare's ears picked up on the sound of his voice before he rubbed his eyes painfully. Although his vision was still blurry, he could make out the trademark orange baseball cap Genki always wore and his eyes widened in shock. The rabbit monster gasped and immediately went to his hurt comrade's side before putting his arm around Genki as he tried to help the young boy stand.

Holly's eyes widened when she saw Genki get punched, and she quickly released Tiger in order to go to Genki's side to try and aid him. The wolf monster, though, was unaware of the situation. His eyes were still shut from the dirt and he had no idea of the two humans' arrival. Before Holly could go to Genki's side, Tiger whipped his head around before shutting his jaw around Holly's hand and wrist, thinking she was Hare. His teeth sunk deep into the young girl's flesh as crimson blood began to drip from the fresh wounds.

Holly's pain laced scream snapped Genki out of his dazed state as he turned to see Tiger latched onto Holly's wrist. The wolf monster slowly released his hold on the girl as her screamed echoed in his head. What was going on? Tiger quickly stumbled to the side of the lake before he dunked his entire head into it while he blinked his eyes to get the dirt out. The wolf monster pulled his head from the water before his blurry vision began to focus in.

Genki shoved Hare away from him as he bolted to Holly's side. His stomach throbbed from the blow he had received, but the young boy didn't notice it anymore after seeing Holly get hurt. The young girl was crouching down as she cradled her wounded hand close to her body. Her eyes were shut tight to stop any tears from falling while her body shook from the shock of being attacked and injured.

Tiger watched the scene with horror as he realized what he had done, and he felt himself get a little light headed as he watched blood begin to trickle from Holly's hand and fall onto the ground below. How could he have hurt _Holly_, of all people? Before the wolf monster could say anything, Genki strapped his rollerblades onto his feet before scooping Holly into his arms bridal style. Both wounded monsters began to limp to Genki's side, but a quick glare from him stopped the duo in their tracks.

"You know what? Go ahead! Beat the crap outta each other! See what I care!" Genki shouted while both Hare and Tiger flinched from his tone. "But I won't allow you to be a part of this group if you're gonna hurt innocent people! This really wasn't entirely about Holly's ruined gifts, was it? Well, until you two get your acts together, you're no longer a part of this team!"

With that said, Genki took one last glance at Tiger and Hare before he rollerbladed away in the direction of the camp to get Holly some medical attention, leaving two tired and beaten monsters to think things over.

* * *

Wow. My author's note on the first chapter of this story specifically said that none of the other chapters would be as long as the first, but this whole time they kept getting longer. XD Anyways, Dark Fox Tailz gave me _ALOT_ of suggestions and ideas for this chapter. I mean, my inbox was full of his ideas and stuff! He was a huge help, so thanks! I think this is my longest chapter ever (over 7,000 words). Cheers! Anyways, a lot of other stories I've read have a common thing that Holly is afraid of heights, so I decided to keep with the flow and add that here as well. I love drama and for some reason Holly always seems to get hurt in my stories. I don't know what it is, but for some reason most fans like their favorite characters to get hurt. I have no idea why that is, but it goes for me, too! XD Anyways, thanks for reading and reviews are lovely! One chapter left!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3


	4. Chapter 4: Calm After The Storm

This ISN'T the last chapter! I know I said it would be 4 chapters, but I ended up writing a lot so… yeah. XD Anyways, thank you Dark Fox Tailz for your ideas! They were very handy! Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this! One chapter left! I now know this story will be LONGER then For Granted, which is weird since it has fewer chapters. XD

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

**Deepening Appreciation**

**Chapter 4: Calm After The Storm**

The surrounding forest was in complete silence except for the sound of twigs and leaves crushing underneath a fast moving individual. Several owls turned their heads to watch the racing character fly through the woods with incredible speed before they merely cooed softly and returned to their hunting. Genki, equipped with his trusty rollerblades, tore through the windy woods with no care for his safety or the pain in his side. His only concern was for the wounded girl in his arms, and nothing would stop him from getting her some needed aid. Holly looked up at the young boy with wavering eyes as she held her injured wrist and hand close to her body. Every now and then Genki would look down at the girl to make sure she was still receptive, but the reflection from the moon made the crimson blood that covered Holly's hand shine and made Genki even more aware of how much blood she was really losing.

"Don't worry, Holly. You're gonna be fine." Genki whispered reassuringly, though he was more so trying to reassure himself. He was no medic by any means, but he knew having a large wound in the area of the wrist wasn't a good thing by any means.

"I know, Genki. I know…" Holly whispered back as she buried her head more snuggly into Genki's shirt. The last thing she wanted was to scare herself, but the intimidation of the blood seeping from her wrists wasn't of any comfort.

Although tired and out of breath, Genki still continued his mission to get Holly to camp without taking a break. What felt like hours was actually only a few minutes before the young boy could make out the exit of the forest that would lead him to the camp site's clearing. With a sudden burst of energy from seeing he was so close to his goal, Genki sped up before tearing into the campsite like a bat out of Hell. The other monsters were still going about their cleaning up of the camp site except for Mocchi, who was still fast asleep with Hare's bandana clutched in his tiny hands.

"Geez, Genki! What were you trying to do? Run someone over and- HOLY PHOENIX!" Suezo shouted as he turned around to see Genki carrying Holly. Although the eyeball monster was not too thrilled anytime Genki would carry her, his eye wasn't focused on that. He was too busy looking at the girl's bleeding wrist that she was cradling close to her body. "WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU OKAY?" Suezo screeched in horror as he hopped to Holly's side.

"Holly… hurt…? How did… this happen…? Was it… the Baddies?" Golem asked with concern as he towered over Genki in order to look down at the injured girl in his arms. Before Genki could respond to that, Holly nodded her head causing Genki to look at her quizzically. What did she mean by that? There hadn't been a Baddie in sight since they left the village.

"Yes. We were ambushed by a troop of Zuums while searching for Hare and Tiger. Genki was too fast for them, though, so the Zuums left in the opposite direction. They went off in the direction of Tiger and Hare, but I'm sure they can handle them." Holly replied weakly.

"Zuums? I'm surprised they didn't attack us earlier." Suezo mumbled to himself, but he quickly shook it off and looked at Holly with concern. "We need to fix up your wound!" The eyeball monster frowned before he torn off his green handkerchief from around his neck and he began digging through all of the random supplies he kept with him. Within moments he pulled out a small roll of makeshift bandages before turned to Golem with a serious look on his face.

"Golem. You know plant life better than anyone I know. Can you find an herb to help Holly? Something like you found for Holly at Undine's lake for her ankle?" Suezo asked, and Golem could hear the extreme worry in his voice.

"Of course… I will be back soon… Just hang in there…" Golem replied before the rock giant stomped away into the forest and disappeared from view.

"Okay, I'm gonna go heat up some of the water Golem used for the tea he made you earlier. Just relax, okay?" The eyeball monster said to Holly as she shivered slightly in Genki's arms.

"I will. Thank you, Suezo." The girl replied with a soft smile while Suezo blushed modestly before heading off to the campfire.

"…why is he heating up water?" Genki asked with confusion while Holly giggled softly.

"It'll help to clean up my wound. The warm water will help kill bacteria and things like that." Holly smiled as she watched Genki nod his head in understanding.

"Geez, how do you two know so much about medical stuff?"

"Besides having to fix up all of your cuts and bruises, Suezo and I learned to treat wounds when we first started our journey. It was only him and I, so we could only depend on each other. We learned quick how to patch up cuts and to help stop pain." Holly replied with pride. No one would ever understand how difficult the journey had been when it was just her and Suezo or how many times they had come close to death. Someday, though, she would make it a point to tell Genki her old adventures. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she looked up at Genki with concerned eyes.

"Holly? You okay?" Genki asked with worry as he saw the change in her mood.

"What about you? You were punched earlier!"

"Oh, that? I'm fine, Holly! I've been attacked by Worms, blown off a cliff by Pixie, and even faced off with Moo twice. A little punch is nothing." Genki said with a grin. It was true; he did have a tendency to get rather beaten up.

"I…I guess. But you should still have it checked out." The young girl stated with worry. "You could have a broken rib or something."

"Nah, I'm fine. But about earlier… why did you lie to them about Tiger and Hare?" Genki asked with a frown, and he could feel Holly tense up in his arms. She was never one to lie, so she must have had a reason to do so; especially to Suezo.

"It's just… if the others found out it was Tiger that bit me or that it was Hare who punched you, they would never treat them the same way again." Holly replied with a frown on her face. "I think they understand their actions now and I have a feeling a fight like that won't happen again. If they've learned their lesson, what's the point of punishing them more? I know Suezo would remind them every second he got that they're the reason I was hurt and that both Mocchi and Golem would distance themselves from them. I know they hurt us, but I know it wasn't purposely. I have a feeling that maybe they'll talk it out and become allies and not enemies."

Genki nodded his head as he took in what Holly had said. He was hoping that Holly was right and that the two monsters would talk things out and had learned their lesson, but there was also a chance that this hadn't changed anything between them. Both monsters were as stubborn as they come, but he also knew both of them weren't emotionless. He knew that the duo had to have been feeling guilt right about now, and maybe it would be the key to fixing things between them.

"I hope you're right, Holly. I really hope you're right."

* * *

The area around the lake was completely still as the moon shone overhead with bright intensity. Several trees in the area were still steaming from earlier attacks while other trees had tiny cinders on their bark that were still scalding red. None of this was given any attention by two lone monsters that sat in complete silence with their backs facing one another. Hare subconsciously rubbed his foot painfully from where Tiger's horn had pierced it while Tiger licked several of his many cuts on his arm. The wolf monster stopped suddenly, though, when his eye caught something on the ground that was glimmering in the moonlight. With a painful grunt, Tiger stood up before staggering over to the unknown shine, but his breath quickly caught in his throat. The glittering sight was that of Holly's blood that had dripped onto the comfort of some fallen leaves. It shown as a reminder of what had taken place that night, and the memory was eating away in his mind. Never had the wolf monster felt such guilt before, and he didn't think he'd ever be able to face the wounded girl again. With a determined look, Tiger strode over to face Hare before sitting down in front of the rabbit monster.

"… what do _you_ want?" Hare asked bitterly as he winced when he touched his hurting collarbone lightly with his hand. "I've seen enough of you tonight."

"What are we doing?" Tiger suddenly asked while Hare gave him a questioning look.

"Um, I don't know about you, but I'm trying to treat my wounds." The rabbit monster scoffed in reply. "Some savage animals don't need to fix up their injuries, though."

"That's not what I mean, rabbit." Tiger huffed as he held back his temper. He had enough fighting with Hare to last him a very long time. "I mean our fighting."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You saw what happened. We hurt Genki and Holly in our scuffle. They were only trying to help, but we turned around and injured them. I hurt Holly, for Phoenix's sake!"

"Yeah, but there's nothing we can do about it now. You heard Genki; we're not a part of the team anymore." The rabbit monster said with a frown as his ears drooped slightly. "I guess we blew it, huh?"

"I… I don't know." Tiger replied with uncertainty, and suddenly the forest once again was covered in an awkward silence. Both monsters merely looked down at the ground with shame, but suddenly Hare let out a chuckle that caused Tiger to look at him confusion.

"What's so funny, rabbit?" Tiger growled as he raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I was just thinking about when I beat you the first time we met. Man, you were so angry after! Hahaha!" Hare laughed playfully.

"Angry? I was pissed! Not only did you make me look weak in front of everyone, but we also lost a good amount of gold." Tiger huffed. "You did get your just desserts, though. Last I checked, I saved your sorry hide."

"You got me there. You have to admit, though, my plan was pretty good."

"…I suppose."

"I was wondering, though. When you guys got caught trying to leave the hotel without paying, why did Golem end up cleaning the dishes? Wouldn't it make more sense to have Holly clean the dishes over a huge rock monster?"

"… I don't really have an answer for you there." Tiger responded, and he quickly put that thought in the back of his mind to ask the others later. He always did question why Golem was the one who ended up in the apron.

"Most of my plans end up working well, though. I have a knack for creating supreme plans." Hare said with a grin. "That one was just a flaw."

"A flaw? Most of your plans don't work!" Tiger smirked as he watched Hare scowl.

"What? Like when?"

"The dam we build to stop the village from getting flooded when Evil Hares busted the old one. That didn't work as planned."

"Pfft. Okay, so it didn't work at first, BUT it did work in the end. So ha!" Hare grinned with pride as he gave the wolf monster a wink of his eye. "See? My plans are wondrous."

"Okay, what about your _great_ raft idea? While Suezo was trying to get a special attack we stayed up all night building that stupid raft and for what? We were sent off a waterfall!"

"Who could have predicted that Baddies would set us off course? My raft held up fine until then, though. It even supported Golem's weight. It wasn't my design that was wrong; it was the Baddies intervention."

"…whatever…"

"… do you really think we're kicked off the team?" Hare suddenly asked quietly, and from the slight quiver in his voice Tiger knew the rabbit monster was more worried about it than he was letting on.

"How should I know? We're in the same boat." Tiger huffed quietly. Truth be known, the wolf monster was just as worried as Hare about the situation. What would happen if they really weren't allowed back in the group? What would they do with their lives?

"Maybe we can make it up to them!" Hare said with hope as he pumped his fists in the air.

"Pfft, and how to you expect to do that? Last I checked, you punched Genki in the gut. I'm pretty sure you're the last monster in the world besides Moo that he wants to see right about now." Tiger shook his head while Hare scowled. "Who knows? Maybe you broke his ribs or caused internal bleeding."

"Grr…! Shut up, Tiger! What about you? Genki's been beat up plenty of times in fights, but you hurt the one person who has no fighting experience! You hurt Holly; the most innocent and caring person on the planet! What if she loses too much blood or gets a deadly infection? It would be all your fault if she died!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK! HOLLY'S NOT GONNA DIE!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW? YOU'RE NO DOCTOR! You heard the nurse, Tiger. One little cut could kill her. If a little cut could kill her, what about a bite from a mutt?"

Once again an awkward silence consumed everything, and even the crickets didn't dare to make a sound. Tiger's jaw was clenched together while his tail whipped back and forth menacingly from anger. Hare watched the wolf monster with caution as he prepared for Tiger to attack him, but instead the canine monster hung his head and sighed softly. For once, Hare suddenly felt great guilt for his harsh and careless words as he slowly, though cautiously, put his hand comfortingly on Tiger's shoulder.

"Listen, I didn't mean any of that. It's not just your fault Holly got hurt like that. I'm always provoking you to start a fight and it's my fault, too, that both Genki and Holly got hurt. Honestly, I didn't mean what I said." Hare quickly apologized. He knew it wasn't completely Tiger's fault for Holly's injury and that he, too, was at fault.

"… thanks." Tiger replied hoarsely as he straightened up. "It's just… what if you're right? I forgot about what the nurse had said up until now. I couldn't tell how hard I bit her, but I know it wasn't gentle. Damn, why did things end up like this? Grey Wolf would be swearing at me at this point."

"Yeah… we've had fights in the past, but we never had one like this before." Hare said with a frown as he stared down at the ground and traced the tip of his hand in the torn up ground from their earlier scuffle. "We've never been so… hateful before."

"I don't know about that. When you cheated in our battle when we first met, had Golem not held me down, I probably would have torn you to pieces." Tiger said with a small smile. "You were lucky."

"Hahaha, true there! But we've had other fights before that didn't end like this. What about when we were looking for Monol's Mystery Disk? You were purposely throwing dirt at me while I was trying to dig!"

"It wasn't on purpose! You started to dig right behind me, so of course you're gonna get hit by dirt! You didn't have to throw a shovel full of dirt in my face." Tiger scowled.

"It was kinda funny, though." Hare grinned as he let out a small laugh.

"… I suppose." The wolf monster said with a small chuckle. "How about when you left pouting when we journeyed through the cavern and fought Joker?"

"I wasn't pouting, Tiger! You simply annoyed me to no end! First, your idea to scale the canyon wall was absolutely crazy! Our best bet would have been to take the long route around had Mocchi not found the underground path. It would have been a longer distance to go around, but it was more practical than climbing the wall."

"That could have taken days of extra time, though. My idea to climb the canyon wall was far better. We would have saved a lot of time."

"We're not mountain goats, Tiger!"

"You sure look like one."

"… whatever." Hare crossed his arms before letting out a sigh. "Anyways, after that whole argument and after Golem caused the cave in, you started another argument with me! All you did was insult me for no reason!"

"No reason? Of course I had a reason! All you cared about was taking the easy route and you didn't even think about the consequences! What if we had been trapped underground forever? You put everyone's lives at risk."

"Okay, so it wasn't the best idea, but at least I came back and saved you guys! Without me you would have been trapped in those illusions Joker made forever! Either that or he would have cut your heads off. Whatever option sounds better to you." Hare smirked. "But… those fights turned out to be pretty harmless."

"… we missed the whole point of today. We were supposed to make Holly feel appreciated, but we used it as a way to compete with each other and look how it turned out." Tiger frowned as he subconsciously hung his head a little. "We ruined everything because of our petty fighting."

"For once, Tiger, I have to agree with you." The rabbit monster said with a scowl as he flinched when he moved his leg. "We really blew it… how about this, though?"

"…what?"

"Let's swear to the Phoenix that we'll never let our fights get out of control like this again. I wish we could swear that we wouldn't fight anymore, but we both know that'll never happen. Plus, fighting with you is fun." Hare smiled and winked while Tiger sweated slightly. "And we'll head back to camp and see if they'll take us back."

"Alright. It's a promise."

"With that taken care of, I have to say that you really stink, Tiger."

"HUH? What's that suppose to mean?"

"You smell like B.O, that's what! Seriously, go take a dip in the lake."

"You smell, too, rabbit! Besides, we were fighting for an hour! Of course we'd have, ahem, body odor!"

"I don't smell nearly as bad as you, mutt."

"Oh, please! You smell worse than Suezo's morning breath!"

Both monsters were face to face as they growled slightly and glared intensely at one another. Tiger snarled and flexed his claws while Hare held his arms up in a boxing stance. Suddenly, though, the two monsters looked at each other and grinned, revealing they each had a missing tooth, before they started to laugh.

"Hahaha! You know what, Tiger? I don't think anything could smell worse than Suezo's breath in the morning! Not even one of my Gas attacks could be as awful smelling!"

"Heh. I have to agree with you there, Hare. And fighting with you _is_ fun as long as it's at this level."

The two monsters stayed by the lake shore for several more minutes as they poked fun at one another, made jokes, and all around just talked about everything. For once, the lake shore wasn't filled with the sound of yelling and fighting. Instead, the air was filled with laughter and even a little bit of understanding.

* * *

"HURRY UP! I NEED THOSE BANDAGES NOW!"

"I'M HURRYING!"

"WELL, HURRY FASTER!"

The campsite was beginning to get hectic as the rebels ran around trying to get medical supplies to help their hurt friend. Holly lay silent in the tent and in her sleeping bag while Mocchi sat at her side with worry written all over his face. He didn't know what was going on, but from the stress coming from his friends he knew it wasn't good. Mocchi wasn't accustom to seeing blood or what it's significance to an organism's body was, but something about the crimson liquid made his skin crawl and made him uneasy.

"Holly okay, chi?" The young monster asked with concern as he watched the girl's face twist into an emotional cross between fatigue and pain.

Holly wanted so badly to start crying right on the spot from the pain in her wrist, but the last thing she wanted was to scare Mocchi. She knew the young monster looked at her for mothering guidance, and seeing her in any kind of distress always caused the sweet cake-like monster to panic. Her wound hurt at first, but because of the shock of the attack her body hadn't completely registered what had happened. Now, after the shock had worn off, she felt like someone was putting hot coals on the flesh of her entire arm.

"I'll be okay, Mocchi." Holly smiled weakly. The young girl was about to stroke Mocchi with her healthy arm, but she quickly remembered it was still covered in her own dry and fresh blood, so she could only offer her smile as any comfort. "Everything will be okay…"

"Golem's not back with the herbs, but I have the water to clean your wound." Suezo said as he hopped into the tent. "Mocchi, go look for Golem, would ya? He may need help."

"O-okay, chi." Mocchi stuttered slightly as he took one last worried glance at Holly before slowly making his way out of the tent. Suezo sighed as the young monster left as he shook his head. He knew Golem didn't need help, but he didn't want Mocchi to see the gore of Holly's wrist.

"I need those bandages, Genki!" Suezo shouted out the tent before he turned his attention to his wounded comrade. "Don't worry, Holly. This won't hurt a bit." Suezo said with a sad smile as he held out a cup of the heated water.

"That's what you always use to say when you cleaned up my injuries when it was just you and me. I know you're lying." Holly said with a tired, yet playful smile. Slowly, as if expecting a time bomb to explode, the young girl reluctantly extended her arm out and shut her eyes tightly. With a small gulp, Suezo carefully began to pour some of the warm water over Holly's wound. The girl held back a whimper as her whole body tensed up from the pain. The eyeball monster slowly placed the cup down before taking a rag and began to wipe away the blood on Holly's wrist. He could see where new blood was still dripping from the wound, but he hoped to change that quickly.

"GENKI! I NEED THOSE BANDAGES NOW, DAMN IT!" Suezo shouted as he wiped away more of the dry blood. The eyeball monster once again poured more of the warm water on the wounded area, and he could now see a little bit of the injury. Deep gashes were visible on both sides of Holly's arm from where Tiger's jaws had latched onto her. The teeth marks started from the middle of the palm of Holly's hand and ended at her wrist, about two inches from the base of her hand. Suezo physically cringed when we saw the wound, but he quickly shook it off and dabbed away more of the blood without a word.

"Hey! Sorry about that! I have the bandages! I was just-" Genki had spoke when he entered the tent, but his body filled with nausea when he looked at Holly's wound. In the heat of the moment back at the fight, he barely even noticed the injury when he scooped Holly off her feet and sped back to camp. Now, though, the wound was in sight and was more horrific then he had expected. Although he was a tough guy and ended up getting hurt quite a bit in fights, he was never a fan of blood. He tended to get more bruises than anything and he had never seen so much blood in his life then at that moment. With his head becoming light-headed, Genki quickly tossed the roll of bandages to Suezo before staggering out of the tent. The young boy let out a deep breath of air and a sigh as he slowly sat down near the side of the tent.

"Genki? Are you alright?" Holly asked in concern while she winced as Suezo wiped away more blood from her wrist.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Genki muttered. He didn't want to be in the tent because of the blood, but he also wanted to be there to support Holly. It wouldn't help if he passed out in front of her, though, so sitting near the tent was the only thing he could do. "How ya feeling, Holly?"

"I… I'm just fine." The young girl replied with a shaky voice. Suezo frowned as he looked at Holly before he unraveled the roll of bandages and began to wrap the cloth firmly around the injury with care and expertise. It only took several moments before the eyeball monster was done and he looked down at his work with a small smile.

"There ya go! Good as new!" Suezo grinned as Holly returned it with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Suezo."

"Anytime, Holly. I'll be right back. You just lie down and rest." The eyeball monster stated before he slowly hopped out of the tent, though not before taking one last look at Holly. "I'm sorry this day didn't turn out as it should have."

"It's okay. I think today will be more important than we know."

Her response was not what Suezo had been expecting, but the eyeball monster merely nodded before leaving the tent. Immediately he strode over to Genki, who leaned away slightly, before he spoke softly in his ear. "Don't leave this spot. I'm gonna go find Golem and Mocchi."

"I won't." Genki replied with a thumbs up. With that said, Suezo hopped into the forest and before Genki knew it, he was out of sight.

"…Genki?"

Holly's soft voice broke through the silence and the young boy immediately leaned closer to the side of the tent. "Yeah? What is it Holly?"

"… do you think Tiger and Hare are okay?"

"Them? Of course! They may be stubborn, but they're not stupid. I have a good feeling about leaving them to talk. I have a feeling a nasty fight like that won't happen again."

"So… if they come back, will they be allowed back in the group?" Holly asked, and Genki could hear the concern in her voice.

"Hahaha, of course! I was angry back there that you got hurt, but I would never kick them out unless they hurt you on purpose. Then I wouldn't just leave them behind; I'd beat them up myself!" Genki said as he pumped his fist in the air, as if he was about to punch someone.

Holly giggled in response to Genki's words as she leaned back onto her pillow and turned over in her sleeping bag. Hearing the boy talk so strongly always made her happy and helped to raise her mood. "Genki, why don't you come in? I promise my injury is bandaged. I like seeing people when I talk to them."

"… are you sure it's bandaged?"

"Yes, Genki. It's patched up."

With that in mind, Genki slowly stood up before entering the tent, though he was prepared for the worst. As Holly had promised, though, there were no bloody wounds or gory flesh to meet him. Instead, there was only Holly with a makeshift bandage on her wrist. He could see where the cloth was beginning to soak up the blood, but little things like that didn't bother him. It was when he could see her torn flesh that made him want to pass out.

"Do you want anything?" Genki asked with a smile.

"I'm okay. Thank you, though." Holly thanked and returned his smile. "I had a great day today. Thanks for everything."

"Huh? How can you say that? Today was awful!"

"It had it's… not so good memorable parts, but it also had some good parts."

"Like what? Us bringing you stuff?"

"That wasn't the first thought on my mind, though I did enjoy it. I enjoyed having a chance to talk with you more, though." Holly smiled as she subconsciously played with the end of her bandage.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We never get a whole lot of time to talk just you and me. We're always in a group and although I love when all of us are hanging out, it's nice to spend some quality time with just you, too."

"Well, we can always do it again sometime. Maybe we could go get lunch when we're in a town, just you and me." Genki said with a grin as he watched Holly's face light up.

"I'd like that a lot."

Suddenly, Holly shivered slightly and pulled her sleeping bag closer to her body. The young girl looked up at Genki with tired eyes, and immediately the energetic boy knew something was wrong besides her wound. Without a word, Genki gently placed his hand on Holly's forehead before he retracted it slowly.

"You're burning up!" Genki exclaimed in horror. It was like the last time she fell ill all over again, except this time really could be the last. "Holly, tell me the truth. How do you feel?"

Again, the scene in Holly's mind replayed itself when Genki had spoken to her in the hospital and how hurt he had been when she hadn't originally told him how she was feeling. With a feeling of defeat, the young girl sighed and looked up at Genki with glassy eyes.

"I… I don't feel very well."

That small sentence was one of the scariest things Genki had ever heard in his life. When Holly said she wasn't feeling well, it really meant she was feeling horrible. He had slowly learned to interpret what she meant, and sometimes he wished he hadn't. It would save him a lot of stress and fright.

"HEY GUYS! WE'RE BACK! AND GOLEM FOUND SOME HERBS!"

Suezo's shout snapped Genki out of his thoughts and before he knew what he was doing, the young boy bolted out from the tent before accidently slamming into the eyeball monster. Golem looked down at Genki with confusion while Mocchi tilted his head in curiosity. Suezo, however, wasn't curious or confused. He was angry.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? DO YOU WANT ME TO DROP THE HERBS, YOU CHOWDER HEAD?" Suezo shouted, but Genki immediately grabbed the eyeball monster's lips before holding them together to keep the monster quiet.

"Shut up, Suezo! I'm sorry about hitting into you, but I need to tell you something important!"

"What could be more important than getting Holly medical herbs?"

"What's more important? How about finding out that she's not feeling well?"

Suezo didn't know what came first; him screaming bloody murder or him plowing into Holly's tent like a rabid animal. Either way, it scared the hell out of the wounded girl, who had been trying to rest her tired eyes and ignore the throbbing pain in her arm.

"AAHHHHH! SUEZO?" Holly screamed as she clutched onto the edge of her sleeping bag like she was drowning and that her sleeping bag was a life preserver. "What's going on?"

"YOU'RE NOT FEELING WELL?"

"… yes…"

Suezo cursed under his breath before he began to hop back and forth, which caused Holly to become nervous. She knew that with the past month of her illnesses and injuries that if Suezo had hair, it would be completely white by now. Suddenly, the eyeball monster's eye grew wide as he turned to face the other rebels with a look of horror on his face.

"What is… it, Suezo?" Golem asked with worry.

"Yeah, chi! What's going on?"

"Oh, Phoenix… we forgot to give Holly her medicine for the night!" Suezo cursed as he hung his head in aggravation. "The nurse said she needed it every night and morning!"

"That could be… another reason… why Holly… isn't feeling well." Golem stated while Suezo gave him the 'I already knew that, you boob' look.

"Let's give it to her now, chi! Then she get better!" Mocchi chirped with hope as he looked up at Genki with huge wavering eyes. "Right, chi?"

"That's just it… The Mew nurse said only to give it to her after she's had something to eat or else she'd just vomit it back up." Genki said with a scowl. "Did you guys save any of the soup?"

"Pfft. Tiger kicked every last drop of that soup onto the ground. No one got to eat anything tonight and Hare used the last of our food supply in the stew since we assumed we'd be going to the next town tomorrow morning." Suezo said with a frown. "We need to pack up camp."

"Huh? Why?"

"Why? Because whether you wanna come or not, I'm taking Holly to the next town to find her a real doctor." Suezo stated with a determined look. "She needs real medical attention with her wound and now she's not feeling well. I'm not going to put her life in jeopardy like last time she got sick. I can't handle that again. Are you coming with me, or are you staying here?"

Genki looked over at the other rebels, who in turn each gave him a nod of agreement. "Don't worry Suezo. We're coming with ya."

Suezo gave the group relieved thanks before the other rebels split up and began to pack up camp. Everything from pans to the tent were pack away carefully before the area looked like it had before the rebels had made camp. Everything, that is, except the trees Tiger had pulled up earlier and the black scorch mark on the ground from the fire pit.

"What about Hare and Tiger, chi?" Mocchi asked with confusion.

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure they'll meet up with us again at some point." Genki replied sadly as he patted the young monster on the head.

"I guess that's it. Let's head out and-"

"WAIT!"

Suezo was cut off as a shout emitted from deep within the forest. After a few moments, a battered Hare and a beaten Tiger emerged from the forest looking a little worse for wear. The duo was breathing heavily while trying their best to keep their balance from all of their various injuries (especially Hare, whose foot was killing him).

"HARE? TIGER? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS?" Suezo exclaimed as he looked at the two monsters with a cross between shock and curiosity. He had never seen either monster so worn before, so something had to have given the duo a run for their money. Before either beaten monster could answer Suezo, though, Genki quickly piped up.

"You guys! You're okay! I was starting to think those Zuums got the better of you! It looks like the Baddies are getting stronger though, so we'll have to be careful."

"…Zuums?" Tiger questions with a confused look, but he suddenly saw Genki nod before he got the hint. "Oh_, those_ Zuums! Yeah, they really took their toll on us, but in the end we won."

"What are you talking about, Tiger?" Hare asked as he raised an eyebrow, but Tiger gave him a 'play along with me, numb nut' look, and Hare immediately perked up. "Oh! Yeah, they really out numbered us. We have to be more cautious."

"Wow… well, good job guys! You're just in time. We're heading out to the next town, if you could tell." Suezo said with a smile. "So you coming or what?"

"Yes, they're coming with us." Holly replied tiredly. "They're part of the team."

Both Tiger and Hare felt their spirits lift at Holly's words and a great fear was lifted by being accepted back into the team. They didn't know what was going on with the lying about the fight, but they would question Holly and Genki later. For now, they were just relieved things seemed to be getting back to normal.

"Hare and… Tiger are hurt… Let Golem… carry you…" Golem offered as he held out both of his hands. For once, both Hare and Tiger accepted the offer and limped onto the rock giant's hands to be carried. It was extremely relieving to finally get a chance to rest their tired bodies.

Genki gently lifted a tired and hurt Holly bridal style into his arms before turning back to the rest of the team. Although the group wasn't ready to face Moo yet, the young boy felt that they had gained something from this whole experience. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different between Hare and Tiger. Maybe the two monsters had learned a valuable lesson, and the young boy really hoped they had. Genki looked down at the half sleeping Holly in his arms who subconsciously buried her face deeper into his chest, and suddenly a small smile broke out on his face. Maybe things were different between him and Holly as well.

* * *

Okay. This chapter was getting way too long. I know this story was suppose to be 4 chapters, but there's **one left** after this! I was up to 18 pages and I was just like "…damn." XD So I'm breaking chapter 4 into two separate chapters. Thank Dark Fox Tailz again for your ideas and suggestions! They're great! ^_^ And about Holly's wound. Has anyone ever gotten a wrist wound before? You bleed A LOT. It's awful, really. ;_; And males tend to have more problems with seeing blood because, well, females see a lot more of it if you get my drift. X( This chapter was longer then the last, and I don't know how I keep doing it. XD References! In the episode "Undine's Lake", Holly's ankle is hurt so Golem finds herbs for her to help stop the swelling. In the episode "Hare's Trick", Hare beats Tiger by cheating, but at the end of the episode Tiger saves Hare's life. Also Golem has to stay behind and clean dishes, but I always wondered why he was the one who had to do that. XD In the episode "The Courageous Seven" Hare comes up with a plan to build a new dam after Evil Hares wreck the old one. At first the dam doesn't seem to be holding, but in the end it does. In the episode "Suezo's Secret Weapon" Hare has the idea to build a raft and travel by the river. Tiger and Hare stay up all night building it, but the raft gets wrecked after they go over a waterfall thanks to the Baddies. At the beginning of the episode "Monol's Story", the rebels are digging around for a Mystery Disk, but Hare and Tiger start fighting after Tiger kicks dirt at Hare. In "Underground Adventure" Hare and Tiger first fight about what route to travel. Once inside the underground tunnel, they fight again and Hare leaves the team. In the end, though, he comes back and saves the group from Joker. End of references!

Anyways thanks everyone and reviews are loved!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3


	5. Chapter 5: All Around Healing

Once again I apologize that this is late. My wrists have been bothering me a lot lately. I really wanted to finish this story in a week, but it took around 3 weeks instead, so sorry! I also wanted this finished before I go went to college (I failed at that, too) but here you go! Finally! This is the last of the For Granted story line, so I hope everyone enjoys! Thanks to all my amazing reviewers of this story which consists of ripitupgenki, inu-yusukekaiba102, Dark Fox Tailz, Butterflygirl1234, KairiOliver, and Dark Scimitar. You guys are amazing and you keep me writing! I wanted to give a special thanks to Dark Fox Tailz for all of his suggestions and ideas. I couldn't have written chapter 3 without him. I also wanted to thank ripitupgenki for all of her wonderful support that she's given me and the strive to keep writing. I hope everyone enjoys this!

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

**Deepening Appreciation**

**Chapter 5: All Around Healing**

A small town, though larger than the last one the rebels had visited, was quiet and slow at this time of day. Baddies tended to strike more at night, and so the villagers had quickly learned to get everything they needed done in the day and to rest at night. So when a loud stomping noise broke through the night, the townsfolk immediately got in the defensive. Armed with simple weapons like arrows and swords, the towns' army was the first to greet the unknown newcomers with caution.

"WHO ARE YOU? ARE YOU MOO'S MEN?" One of the solders shouted as the shadows covered the enigmas, giving them an ominous look. Suddenly, one of the beings cleared their throat before stepping forward.

"HECK NO! MY NAME'S GENKI AND I'M THE MONSTER CHAMP!"

The solders looked at each other with confusion at the answer as they sweated slightly, and they were even more confused when their lit lanterns revealed the newcomer to be… a young boy with a girl in his arms?

"Uhhh, can we help you?" The head of the army said with confusion as he watched the other rebels step into the light. "Our village shuts down at night because of Moo's armies, so I suggest you find an inn and stay put if you want to live."

"Ah. We'll do that later!" Genki replied while the solder looked at him with curiosity as he raised an eyebrow. "First we need to find a hospital! My friend here is hurt and so are these two." The young boy said as he motioned over toward the two monster's in Golem's hands.

"… very well. I'll take you there personally. After you drop your friends off, though, I must insist you go to the inn. Walking around in the night is suicide."

"Sounds good! Thanks, man!" Genki said with a smile as the army slowly dispersed, leaving just the head of the small military force to lead the rebels to their destination. The rebels walked in silence behind the solder as they made their way through the town before the man stopped at a halt.

"This is our village's hospital. The right wing is for human patients while the left wing is for monsters. It's time I part from you, though, so have a nice stay. The inn is down the street to the left of the market place, so it's easy to find." The solder stated as he give the group a small bow before disappearing down the street.

"Thanks, mister! Chi!" Mocchi chirped as he waved until the man was out of sight. The small monster turned his attention to the hospital in front of him and his mouth opened in awe. The hospital was quite different than the last town's hospital. It was a giant structure and had an almost elegant feel to it. The door trim was adorned with carvings of different monsters and symbols while the building itself was built from marble. It was even large enough to fit Golem. If one didn't know any better, it looked more like a fancy hotel.

"Wow, this place is really nice." Genki said to himself, but suddenly he remembered the reason they were there and it wasn't to look at the building gawking like idiots. "We gotta get these guys some help! Come on!"

The rebels slowly and quietly opened the door of the establishment before entering the large building. Immediately, a tiny bell rang from the door and several footsteps could be heard coming from one of the many hallways.

"I'm coming! Just a moment, please!"

Suddenly, a Momo wearing a nurse hat waddled to the front service desk before giving the rebels a warm smile. In her tiny paw was a large walnut looking item that all Momo species carry. "Good evening! May I help you?"

"Hey, Hare. She'd made a cute girlfriend for you." Tiger said slyly as he took Hare's comment toward him about the Mew nurse from earlier and threw it back in his face.

"Grr…! Shut up, mutt!"

"Anyways!" Genki said as he sent a glare toward the two injured monsters, and the duo immediately calmed down. "Those two and my friend here are hurt and we need some help. Plus Holly isn't feeling good and she's running a temperature."

"Oh! I'll be right back!" The nurse replied as she bolted down one of the many hallways and disappeared from sight, leaving the rebels to just stand there.

"I always wonder why Momo monsters always carry those nut things." Suezo said with a wryly grin. "I mean, there are so many perverted jokes that come from that. Like, wanna carry my nut?"

"How about when they bite into it to use their Machine Gun attack? Get your nut out of your mouth!" Hare laughed to himself while Suezo joined him.

"How about something like 'stop handling your nut!' Hahahaha!"

"Would you look at those nuts!"

All the rebels turned in shock to see Tiger with a sly grin on his face. For a moment, the group of rebels were suprised that the wolf monster had joined into the joke, but the shock wore off and immediatly Hare and Suezo burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Good one, Tiger!"

"Hey, that wasn't half bad!"

"Okay guys! We're in a hospital, remember?" Holly said weakly, though that didn't stop the blush that had crept up onto her face. Why was her monster so… crude?

"Pfft…! Hahahaha! It's hilarious, though!" Suezo laughed as he wiped away a tear from his eye. "Seriously, it's so wrong."

Suddenly, the pitter patter of tiny footsteps was heard once again and the group of rebels immediately fell silent. The Momo nurse, along with two other Momos, emerged from the hallway while pushing three stretchers.

"Okay! On to the stretcher you go!" The nurse cooed with a smile. Golem carefully placed both Hare and Tiger onto separate stretchers while Genki gently laid Holly down on the last stretcher. The girl looked up at him with tired, yet sincere eyes as she weakly waved to him before she was wheeled down a separate hallway then Hare and Tiger. The room fell silence once again until one of the nurses waddled back into the room.

"Don't worry. You can either go to the inn or you can wait in the waiting room."

"We're gonna wait here." Genki immediately replied, and the nurse nodded in understanding before leading them to the waiting room. The waiting room was simple and had several chairs for people to wait in. Other than that, though, there wasn't anything else in the room.

"I'll come get you when your friends are fixed up enough to see company." With that, the little monster hurried out of the room and disappeared down the hallway.

At this point, Genki was really sick of hospitals. He hated everything about them and it felt like he spent more time in them in the last month then in his entire life. Although he was glad he had the option to wait for his friends, he wasn't going to lie; he was bored. Genki knew it would be awhile until he could see his friends, so the only thing he could do now was rest his eyes. And rest his eyes, he did.

* * *

"…this sucks."

"You can say that again."

Both Hare and Tiger were in the same room, except there was a divider between the two so the only thing they could do was to talk loudly so they could hear each other. What was worse then getting bitten, beaten and scratched? Getting those wounds cleaned up. The medication the Momo nurses were using was extremely powerful, but also extremely painful. The two monsters, though, were holding back every whimper and yelp so the other wouldn't hear them.

"Can you put my tooth back in?" Hare asked the nurse with a frown.

"Why? You look better without it." Tiger called from the other side of the divider.

"Ah, shut up!"

"Hey, nurse? Could you put my tooth back in, too?"

"Yes, we'll be able to put your teeth back in place, though we'll do that after we bandage you up a bit. We'll be right back! We've cleaned up your wounds nicely. All that's left is patching them up, so please excuse us while we get our supplies." The Momo nurses said at the same time with a bow before they both left the room.

"Damn, what do they put in that medicine? Salt?" Hare asked sarcastically.

"Nah, I think they put lemon juice." Tiger replied with a frown as he resisted the urge to lick his wounds.

"Well, Tiger, I must say you are quite the good fighter." Hare complimented with a grin, though the divider prevented Tiger from seeing it.

"You too, rabbit. That had to be the most intense battle I've ever had."

"Really? I thought your battle with Grey Wolf would be considered more intense."

"It was more emotionally intense, but I still beat him. No one won our battle." Tiger replied, though thinking about his battle with his brother made his heart sink a little. "If we fought again, though, it would be a different story."

"Yeah, I'd wipe the floor with ya." Hare said with a laugh. "Seriously, though, let's hope there's not a next time."

"Agreed."

"We're back!" The Momo nurses chirped at the same time as they held up the bandages and other medical supplies they had gathered. "Time to patch you boys up!"

Both Hare and Tiger sweated as the two nurses prepared the bandages and both of them gulped slightly while the nurses giggled. At this point, they never wanted to go to a hospital ever again.

* * *

Genki didn't remember what he had been dreaming about since a tiny poke caused the boy to groggily wake up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking down at the Momo who was smiling up at him. "Guh… whaz goin on?" Genki slurred as he let out a tired yawn. "Is Holly okay?"

"We haven't had a chance to start on her yet. We just came to tell you that your monster friends are all bandaged up and can be visited now." The nurse said with a smile as she began to waddle down the hallways while waving the group on to follow her. They did just that and quickly bolted to the nurse's side before she stopped in front of one of the rooms.

"Here we are! Try not to get them excited or anything. That last thing we need is for them to ruin their bandages." The nurse warned before she left the rebels to their own accord. The group exchanged glances before nodded their heads and opening the door to the room. What they found wasn't what they had expected. They first monster they could see was Hare, who was closest to the door. Besides several bandages on his chest and arms, he had a huge bulky cast on his leg that had been pierced by Tiger's horn. It started at his knee and covered the rest of his leg and foot.

"Don't you even start with me." Hare huffed when he saw the other rebels' faces turn from one of shock to one of humor. "It's only temporary."

"Pffft…! Hahahaha! Oh, man! That really sucks!" Suezo laughed while Genki shook from laughter and Mocchi giggled while trying to hold it in. Golem was the only one who stayed straight faced, though deep down he wanted to burst out in laughter.

"Ah, shut up!" Hare scowled as he crossed his arms.

"Now onto round two!" Suezo said gleefully as he hopped to the other side of the divider. "OH, PHOENIX!"

The other rebels ran to the other side of the divider to see just what Suezo's outburst was all about. Tiger lay on the bed and, just like Hare, was covered in small bandaged on his legs and body. That wasn't what caught the group's attention, though. Over Tiger's left eye was a deep gash that had been sealed using a couple stitches. Just to make sure that the stitches weren't disturbed, though, Tiger was forced into wearing a large dog cone made for Tiger breed monsters. He didn't look thrilled. That didn't mean the other rebels didn't enjoy it, though.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! OH, TIGER! THIS IS A GLORIOUS MOMENT IN MY LIFE! HAHAHA!" Suezo burst out into laughter as he fell to the ground and Mocchi joined him by tumbling onto his back while holding his stomach from laughing too hard. Genki really didn't want to, but he couldn't help it as a laugh escaped his throat and was quickly followed by many more. Even Golem shook as he held in the fit of laughter that wanted to explode out of him.

"GRRR! SHUT UP!" Tiger shouted as he blushed from embarrassment. When his horns began to form electricity, though, that was a hint for the rebels to leave. Without another word, the other rebels bolted out of the room, though their laughter could be heard from all the way down the hallway. Suddenly, the divider was ripped down by Hare, who also wanted to see what was so funny. Immediately, the rabbit monster began to laugh like there was no tomorrow while Tiger scowled.

"What's so funny, rabbit? You look like someone replaced your foot with a Golem's foot." Tiger huffed, but Hare couldn't keep from laughing.

"My cast may be bulky and ugly, but nothing tops your cone, Tiger! Teeheehee! It really suits you!"

"Grrr…! You're on thin ice, pal!"

"I'd rather be on thin ice than have a dog cone strapped to my head!"

"At least with this cone I can turn my head so I don't have to see your disgusting face."

Suddenly, the duo just looked at one another before they both burst out into laughter. It was true; they both looked rather ridiculous with their bandages and what not. For once, they were in the same boat and that they knew the other rebels would make fun of them for years to come because of this. At least it would be nice to have one other person who was in the same situation.

"This cone itches."

"So does this cast."

"... this _really_ sucks."

* * *

"Pfft…! Hahaha! That was great!" Suezo laughed to himself as they made it back to the waiting room. He would never let Hare and Tiger live that down. "I would have paid money to see that, but seeing it for free was even better!"

"Yeah… I wonder how Holly's doing, though." Genki wondered to no one in particular. The rest of the rebels fell silent at the mention of the girl, and suddenly Suezo felt a little guilty. Here he was laughing and having fun while his best friend was having who knows what done to her.

"Holly… is strong. She will… be okay." Golem reassured the group, though he mainly aimed it toward Mocchi. The other rebels knew the uncertainty of the situation, but Mocchi didn't. The young monster didn't truly know what was going on and the last thing he needed was to fear even more for Holly. Suddenly, the tiny footsteps of a Momo nurse could be heard coming from the human medical wing, and immediately the rebels perked up. All at once they crowded the nurse as soon as she stepped foot in the waiting room, and the Momo couldn't help but sweat drop from all the attention.

"Is Holly okay, chi?"

"Is she… feeling better?"

"How's her wound?"

"Why do Momos carry those nut things?"

"Please! Calm down!" The Momo nurse said with a pleading tone of voice as the rebels bombarded her with too many questions at once. "I can only answer one question at a time!"

"Is Holly going to be okay?" All the rebels asked at once as they looked down at the nurse with hope. The nurse took a step back before clearing her throat and putting her paws on her hips.

"That depends on what you mean. We're having a little… difficulty." The Momo nurse frowned.

"Difficulty? Like what?"

"Well… we gave your friend medicine to help with her fever and she's already looking a lot better. She had lost quite a bit of blood so we have her on an IV to give her some fluids. I have some medicine that she'll have to continue to take once she leaves the hospital for about a month. First, she'll get sick if she doesn't eat before taking the medicine and-"

"No offense, miss, but we actually already heard all this stuff about the medicine before from the last hospital." Genki admitted. "We know all about not letting Holly over work herself and not letting her pick up heavy things. The Mew nurses explained it all."

"If they explained it all then why is your friend hurt? Did they not warn you that because of her weak state of body that a tiny cut could lead to an infection that could kill her?" The nurse huffed and crossed her tiny arms.

"They… they warned us. It's a long story… Anyways, though, what seems to be the difficulty? It sounds like you have everything under control." Genki replied with a worried frown.

"That's just it, though. Your friend is going to need quite a few stitches, but she seems rather jumpy when she saw the needle. If I unwrap her bandage and she panics, we may not be able to stop the bleeding. Her blood is thinner because of the medication and we can't have any mess ups or it could cost us." The Momo nurse frowned and shook her head.

"Stitches? How many?" Suezo asked with concern.

"Well, considering how many puncture wounds she has, I'd say at least twenty."

"TWENTY?"

"Yes, though I have a feeling it may be more."

Genki felt his stomach tighten as he thought about the situation. When he was little, he decided he wanted to be a super hero just like all little kids do at some point. In an attempt to save a cat from a tree, though, he ended up slipping and landing painfully on a wooden fence below. He didn't remember a whole lot about the ride to the hospital, but he did remember having to get stitches on his knee. It was only two tiny stitches, but he remembered how scary it had been. Had his mother not been there to comfort him, he knew he probably would have fled the hospital and called it a day. If two stitches were that frightening, though, he couldn't even imagine over twenty.

"Poor Holly…" Golem said softly as he felt his mood drop. When they first saw the nurse they had assumed it was good news, but it hadn't gone quite as expected. "Is there… no other… way?"

"Sadly, no. Once we have the stitches done, though, I'll give her some ointment to apply to the area everyday. It'll help heal the area and help with preventing scarring. First, though, I need to apply the stitches without her panicking."

"Can I go with you?" Genki asked while the other rebels looked at him with confusion.

"What for?" The nurse replied with a quizzical look.

"I wanna be there for Holly. I had stitches when I was young and I kind of know what to expect. Besides, maybe I can make her not so jumpy." Genki reasoned.

"This coming from the kid who got queasy at the sight of blood." Suezo huffed. "I wanna be the one to go see Holly! I'm her best friend, so I should be there!"

"Well… since her cute little boyfriend asked first, I'll let him come." The Momo nurse said with a smile. "Just be warned, though, the sight isn't going to be pretty."

"HE'S NOT HER BOYFRIEND!" Suezo shouted in fury. Genki was shocked and about to retort that he and Holly weren't an item, but suddenly he realized how well that had worked out. If he told the nurse he wasn't the girl's boyfriend, he would surely be denied his request and it would be Suezo who got to go see Holly. So instead of that, Genki played along and nodded at the nurse's words.

"Don't worry! I won't look at the wound at all. I just want to be there to emotionally support my… ahem… _girlfriend_." Genki said with a sly grin aimed at Suezo while the nurse led him down the hallway, though his face was still flushed slightly at being called Holly's boyfriend._ 'Who knew playing along with that would work so nicely?'_

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, GENKI! DEAD!" Suezo shouted down the hallway, but he was only met by the sound of Genki's victorious laugh echoing down the hallway before he was far out of earshot.

The nurse stopped at a halt in front of one of the many hospital rooms before knocking on the door lightly with her tiny paw. "I'm coming in, dear! I even brought your boyfriend!" The Momo cooed with a grin as she opened the door.

"My… boyfriend?"

Holly's voice was quiet and full of confusion, but her eyes widened when Genki rounded the corner and gave her one of his trademark smiles. She was unsure what was going on, but that didn't stop the blush from forming on her face when she remembered the Momo's words. Genki… her _boyfriend_?

"Uh, hey Holly!" Genki greeted with a grin as he took a seat next to the girl's bedside. "How are ya feeling?"

"I feel… okay. What's going on?" Holly asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to be here to support you, is all." The young boy said with a smile, and his smile widened when he saw Holly's face light up with relief. The wielder of the Magic Stone hated to admit it, but she was scared. They had faced countless Baddies in the past, but seeing that one simple needled had caused her more fright than an army of Arrow Heads. There was just something about the pointy object that made her heart race and made her body tense.

"Thank you, Genki. That means a lot to me."

"Of course, Holly! Anytime!"

"Aww! You two are so sweet! Young love is so precious!" The Momo nurse cooed with a grin as she prepared new bandages for after the stitches were in place while both Genki and Holly blushed scarlet. "I wish I had a boyfriend…"

"Anyways! Do you want anything to eat?" Genki laughed nervously as he watched Holly look at him in confusion. If the nurse found out they weren't a couple, then he would definitely be kicked out of the room. The last thing he wanted was Holly to speak up and defend herself to the nurse about their relationship_. 'Suezo would never let me live it down if I was kicked out at this point!'_

"Oh, I'm okay. I'm a little too nervous to eat, anyways." Holly admitted with a frown as she looked down at the makeshift bandages Suezo had fixed her wound up with earlier. They were already beginning to bleed through and the sight wasn't very comforting.

"Don't worry, Holly. Everything's going to be okay." The young boy assured.

"Okay! Are you ready, miss?" The Momo nurse asked as pushed a small cart with all the utensils she would need for patching up the young girl's wrist. There were so many different tools and items on the cart that it made both Holly and Genki a little more nervous. The young boy frowned before he took Holly's unwounded hand in his own before giving the girl a comforting smile. He knew it wasn't like in his world where for any kind of pain, a doctor could throw out various medications like morphine or ibuprofen to help with reducing pain. Instead, he had a feeling the medication that Holly was on was simply ground up herbs or something of the matter. It wouldn't be nearly as affective, and it was times like this he wished he had been prepared to go to the monster world.

Holly looked at Genki nervously before gently squeezing his hand and nodding her head. "Yes, I'm ready."

The nurse nodded in understanding as she put on tiny rubber gloves and a small face mask before climbing up on a step stool so she could perform the medical procedure without having to be on her tip toes. Holly reluctantly extended her arm before the Momo strapped it down to the side of the bed so the girl couldn't pull away half way through the operation and ruin the stitches or disturb the IV in her arm. "Don't worry, dear." The nurse smiled at her patient before she began to thread the needle that she would be using. Once done, the Momo carefully unwrapped the makeshift bandages before wiping away as much blood as she could in order to clean the area. The torn flesh on Holly's arm was still new and oozing fresh blood while the nurse did her best to stop the flow.

Holly quickly looked away from the area of her wound while she flinched from the sensitivity of the spot. Her eyes met with Genki's and she gave him a small smile when he squeezed her hand gently in comfort. Suddenly, the girl let out a small whimper as the needle pierced into her skin and her grip on Genki's hand tightened in response. Again, the feeling of wanting to cry passed in her mind, but her eyes focused onto her friend sitting near her, and so she bit it back. Genki made sure not to even glance at Holly's wound and, instead, only kept his eyes on the young brunette girl.

"It's okay, Holly. You're doing great." Genki said sadly as he kept his hand laces with her's.

"…Genki?"

"Yeah?"

"...thank you..."

For the rest of the operation, Genki held gently onto Holly's hand while occasionally giving her a comforting squeeze and telling her how great she was doing while Holly would respond by holding his hand a little firmer and by giving him a weak, but loving smile. Only moments through the procedure with Genki's company, Holly began to forget she was even getting stitches, for pain dulls when the heart is soothed.

* * *

"That little sneak! I'm gonna bite that kid's head off!" Suezo snarled as he paced back and forth in the waiting room. "Posing as her boyfriend like that! Who does he think he is?"

The waiting room was completely silent except for an extremely peeved Suezo, who had been ranting since the moment the Momo nurse had mistaken Genki for Holly's boyfriend. Both Golem and Mocchi were too scared to intervene in the situation, so both monster merely sat and watched Suezo curse and pace the floor like a mad man. Mocchi yawned as he slumped down into his chair while Golem covered his mouth as he, too, let out a loud yawn. It was far past midnight now and then rebels were feeling it, though none of them wanted to sleep since they didn't want to miss the chance to see Holly.

"I wonder how Holly's doing, chi…" Mocchi sighed as he tiredly stretched his tiny arms and legs from stiffness.

"Hopefully they… will be done… soon… All we… can do is… wait." Golem replied with a straight face before he smiled sadly down at the young monster. "Why don't you… rest, Mocchi? I will wake… you when… we get news… of Holly."

"No thanks, chi! Mocchi wanna stay awake for Holly, chi!" Mocchi smiled as he pumped his arms in the air energetically to show he would stay awake.

"And can you believe the nurse _believed_ Genki was her boyfriend? It's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" Suezo ranted as the other two monster sweat dropped. They knew Genki wouldn't hear the end of it for a very long time.

"Pardon me!" A small high pitched voice broke through Suezo's complaining as the group turned around to see one of the Momo nurses with a smile on her face. Immediately the group crowded around her once again while she sweated from all the attention.

"Is the surgery done, chi?"

"Did you… finish with… the stitches?"

"You know Genki isn't her boyfriend, right?"

"Please, everyone! On question at a time!" The Momo huffed as she crossed her tiny arms.

"Is Holly okay?" All three monsters asked at once, and the Momo noted the concern written on each of their faces.

"Yes, she's okay. Tired, but okay." The Momo replied with a smile.

"Can we see her?" Suezo asked with a hopeful look, but his smile faded when the nurse shook her head. "Huh? Why not?"

"We just need to finish up on cleaning up things. Give us about ten minutes and then we'll let you visit her." With that said, the little nurse waddled away down the corridor before anymore questions could be thrown at her.

"…fine." Suezo huffed as he took a seat near Mocchi.

"Hey, Suezo! Why ya pouting?"

The shout echoed through the hallway as the rebels looked around in confusion until a bandaged up Tiger and Hare emerged from the monster medical wing. Tiger limped slightly before he sat down near Golem while Hare hobbled along using a crutch for support. Both monsters' teeth were back in place, though their jaws were extremely sore. The other three monsters held back their laughs when they got another look at the two battered monsters, especially when Tiger gave them his signature glare.

"Hey, guys! How are ya feeling?" Suezo asked as he held back a snort.

"What do _you_ think? We're sore as hell and these bandages are brutally itchy." Tiger scowled as he resisted the urge to rip the cone from around his neck off right there and then.

"Yeah, I gotta agree with him. These bandages are awful." Hare flinched when his leg cast hit into one of the chairs. "The nurses said this is only temporary, though. We'll be out of this hospital by next week. I guess another advantage to being a monster is healing fast."

"What's the news with Holly? Is she okay?" Tiger asked with concern.

"Okay? I'm gonna kill those Zuums if I ever meet up with them." Suezo huffed angrily. "She had to get hooked up to an IV since she lost a lot of blood and she had to get at least twenty stitches!"

Tiger physically flinched at hearing the news and the guilt in him doubled over. Hare, too, nervously played with the end of the crutch while he kept his eyes on the ground. How could either of them ever face Holly again?

"So… where's Genki?" Hare asked with hesitation, though the other rebels didn't pick up on it.

"That little punk is a poser!" Suezo scowled while Hare and Tiger exchanged looked of confusion.

"Genki… a poser? Why would you say that?"

"Why? WHY? He pulled one over on me by pretending he was Holly's boyfriend so I couldn't go in and be with her during the operation! He's gonna pay!" The eyeball monster snarled.

"Pfft! Hahaha! That kid's pretty good! He's almost as good of a strategist as me!" Hare laughed while Tiger smirked along side with him.

"Shut up, Hare!"

"Make me, Suezo!"

"Stop, chi! We're in a hospital, chi!"

Mocchi's plea was heard as both monster scowled before backing down. The room grew silent once again while Tiger and Hare sat on deep thought about what they should do. They knew they had to talk to both Holly and Genki about what happened that night, and they also wanted to know the reason why the two had lied to the others about the Zuums. Suddenly, a small tap on Mocchi's shoulder caused the young monster to turn around to see one of the Momo nurses with a smile on her face. Immediately the other rebels looked at the nurse with mixed looks before she cleared her throat.

"I'll lead you to her room."

With that simple and short sentence said, the Momo began to walk slowly down the human medical wing with the other rebels hot on her heels. The walk seemed to last forever, but suddenly the little nurse came to a halt before giving the group a small bow.

"This is it. She's very tired, so please be on the quiet side."

"Of course! Thank you very much." Suezo said with a smile before he quickly opened the hospital door. Inside lay Holly on a comfortable looking hospital bed with an IV hooked up into the same arm of her injury. Her once gory flesh was wrapped skillfully with durable bandages and no sign of any bleeding could be seen, which was a sign to the other rebels that the stitches had been a success. Genki sat tiredly next to her bedside with his hand still holding onto her's while his body was slumped forward slightly from fatigue. It was easy to see that the two had been talking with each other for quite some time, although once the other rebels came in the duo ended their conversation.

"Holly! Once again, thank the Phoenix you're okay! How do you feel?" Suezo asked while he hopped to the girl's bedside, and his anger toward Genki was momentarily forgotten.

"I feel fine, thank you." Holly responded with a small glance at Genki before a smile spread on her lips. "Everything's great."

"Golem is glad… Holly is okay…" The stone giant smiled as he towered over the bed and the other rebels had to crane their necks in order to make eye contact with him. "You need… rest…"

"Thank you, Golem. I hope we'll be back on the road by tomorrow. I'll try to get some rest tonight." Holly smiled.

"But Holly still sick, chi! Holly should stay in hospital longer!" Mocchi frowned with concern while the other rebels shared his same feeling.

"Yeah, plus you lost quite a bit of blood. We don't want to risk anything again." Suezo huffed at Holly's stubbornness.

"I know… but we only have one of the Big Bad Four left to defeat and if we don't beat them soon, then more towns will live in fear like this one. I'll be fine now. I don't think that pack of Zuums will be ever come back." Holly replied with a soft smile before she let out a small yawn.

"Okay, guys. We'll talk more with her in the morning. She needs some sleep, and so do we." Suezo said with a smile before he leaned forward and stroked the top of her head lovingly. "Get some rest and we'll be back here to see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, everyone, and thank you for coming to visit me."

The rebels began to slowly make their way out of the room, but Hare and Tiger both didn't move from their spots. The other rebels turned to the duo in confusion as they watched Hare wave them on.

"Don't worry. Go book us a hotel room and we'll meet ya there." Hare said with a smile while Suezo shrugged before hopping away with the others.

"What's going on?" Genki asked with a concerned frowned.

"You know what's up. Why did you two lie about the fight and your injuries?" Tiger frowned as he watched Genki and Holly exchange glances. "They should know what really happened."

"It was Holly's idea to lie about it." Genki said with a nod of his head.

"Why, Holly? After all the things that have happened to you, why would you lie for our sake?" Hare asked as his ears drooped. "We don't deserve your kindness."

"Hare… Tiger… Will you two ever fight like that again?" Holly asked weakly from her bed.

"What? Of course not!" Tiger scowled.

"Yeah! We swore to the Phoenix that we wouldn't." Hare agreed.

"Then what reason is there to tell the others? If you've learned your lesson, then telling the others would accomplish nothing except cause a disturbance between us. What's done is done, and it's time for us to move on." Holly replied with a soft smile as she exchanged a quick look with Genki.

"Yeah. We'll always remember that fight and the after math of it, but it's not something we're gonna dwell on. We have more important things to think about, like finding the Phoenix." The young boy said with a wink as he watched the two monsters perk up.

"Thanks, guys! We'll make sure to stick with our vow and not to fight like that anymore." Hare smiled as he patted Genki on the back. "We owe ya one."

"I'll never be able to make it up to you though, Holly." Tiger frowned as he kept his eye on her bandaged up wrist. "You're the last person in the world that I meant to hurt."

"Don't worry about it, Tiger. Nothing's changed between us because of this. In fact, I feel like maybe it's brought us a little closer." The young brunette replied with a soft smile, and the wolf monster returned her smile with gratitude.

"Thank you, Holly. I really appreciate it."

Suddenly, the realization hit the wolf and rabbit monsters like a ton of bricks while Holly grinned knowing their understanding. It was such a simple and short sentence, but it caused the two battered monsters to glance at one another before looking back at Holly. Finally, they understood what that day was supposed to mean.

"Appreciation… This whole day was supposed to be about showing you appreciation, but by trying so hard we just messed things up." Tiger huffed as he glanced over to Hare.

"Everything was competitive and turned out to be the opposite of appreciation, but now we get it." Hare smiled with a nod. "We're sorry about everything and we know there's nothing we can do to change things, but like Tiger said; we really appreciate everything you do for us, Holly."

Holly felt herself tear up a little as she beckoned the duo over with her bandaged up hand. Tiger and Hare glanced at one another with looks of confusion, and they were even more surprised when they went to her bedside as they were pulled into a gentle hug by the wielder of the Magic Stone. Holly smiled as she gave each monster a soft kiss on the cheek before she released the duo, though the two monsters were reluctant to do so as their faces were flushed red.

"…you're blushing, Tiger!"

"So are you, rabbit!"

"Am not!"

"Are, too!"

Holly giggled as she watched the two monsters argue between each other now that she knew that it wouldn't result in violence. Genki also laughed as he watched the two monsters scowl and insult one another, though his gaze shifted when he could see Holly looking at him with a look of concern.

"Holly? What's wrong?"

"Genki… would you please get your ribs checked out? I'm still worried about you."

"Aw, Holly! I'm fine, honest!"

"…please?"

Genki found himself unable to look away from Holly's pleading face, and he reluctantly nodded his head, "Oh, alright. I'll get it checked out."

"Thank you." Holly sighed with relief.

As soon as she was done speaking, the two young humans turned around at the sound of chuckling. Both Tiger and Hare were looking at them with looks of knowing, but also of amusement.

"Oh, Genki! I was so worried about you!" Hare mimicked Holly in a high pitched voice.

"Don't worry about me, Holly! I'm the Monster Champ after all!" Tiger laughed as he mimicked Genki.

Both Holly and Genki flushed red and they both looked down at the floor with embarressment when Tiger and Hare began to make kissing sounds while laughing at the two.

"Oh, Genki! Kiss me! And let's make babies!" Hare cooed as he held back a snort.

"You got it, babe! Let's make love!" The wolf monster snickered.

"Cut it out!" Genki scowled, though the blush on his face was still present.

"Yeah... come on, guys..." Holly murmered as she played with the end of her vest from embarressment.

A small knock on the door caused the rebels to jump in surprise as they turned to see one of the Momo nurses with clipboard in one hand and a quill pen in the other. She looked over at Tiger and Hare with confusion, and the two monsters quickly straightened up before clearing their throats.

"Uh, we'll see ya tomorrow. Get some rest!" Hare said with a smile as he waved good bye before disappearing from the room while hobbling with his crutch.

"We'll be back tomorrow morning to come pick Holly up." Tiger said with a nod.

"Tomorrow morning? It's, like, three in the morning right now." Genki said as he raised his eyebrow.

"Then we'll come get her tomorrow afternoon." The wolf monster scowled before he nodded good bye to Holly and left the room with a limp.

"Hmm… those two are so odd…" The nurse said with a shrug before she looked over at the two humans with a sad smile. "Visiting hours ended a long time ago, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"Could you check his ribs? He was Tail Whipped earlier by a Zuum." Holly spoke up quickly before Genki could escape the hospital without a check up, and the young boy knew there was no escaping now. Part of him hated having to get the check up, but another part of him liked it since it meant Holly cared enough about him to make it a point to have him get examined.

"Of course! Come with me, cutie." The Momo grinned as she waved the boy over. Genki looked down at Holly before giving her hand one last comforting squeeze as she looked up at him with relieved and gentle eyes.

"Good night, Holly. I'll see you later today."

"Good night to you too, Genki. Thank you for everything."

The duo smiled at one another as they savored the moment before the little nurse cleared her throat, causing the moment to break. Genki reluctantly let go of the young girl's hand before he slowly began to follow the nurse toward the door. Suddenly, Holly felt a small amount of courage rise into her body as she felt herself speak the words that she had at the last hospital visit.

"Sweet dreams."

Unlike the last time, Genki heard her quiet voice as he turned around with a smile on his face while the words sunk in. The little nurse tugged at the boy's shirt, but he didn't budge as he gave Holly a grin.

"You too, Holly."

Holly felt her heart flutter as Genki disappeared from her room, but that didn't stop the wonderful feeling from vanishing. The young girl held back a joyous squeal as she laid back down and looked up at the white ceiling before letting out a happy sigh. Things were definitely a little different between the two rebels since after their talk in the tree before the fight, and their bond grew even more during the girl's surgery. Maybe, just maybe, they would grow even closer in time.

* * *

"...this inn fails."

Unlike the last inn, the hotel in this town was extremely small and dainty. It was obvious that it wasn't well maintenanced, as the paint was chipping from the walls and the carpets were horribly stained. Even so, the rebels had no choice but to make camp there until later that evening when they would pick Holly up. Golem couldn't fit, but he decided to sleep outside instead of in a barn like last time. The rebels weren't all too thrilled with staying there, and for once they were relieved Holly was so determined to leave.

"Well… if we leave here later today and restock our supplies, I'd say we'd be on pretty good track. We lost a lot of time with our last hospital stay, but I think we can manage." Hare calculated as he sat down on one of the beds to rest his aching body.

"How the hell do you expect us to travel with you two in such bad condition?" Suezo huffed. "Holly doesn't fight so it'll be easier to travel with her, but how are we gonna protect three people? You two can't fight looking like that."

"Hey, I can still do long distance attacks like Blizzard and Lightning. I can pull my own weight." Tiger scowled at being questioned.

"Yeah! Besides, we'll be all set in a week. Until then we'll just be careful, is all." Hare shrugged before he hoisted his leg in the bulky cast onto the bed before letting out a relieved sigh. It felt good to finally rest.

"You're gonna slow us down." Suezo scoffed.

"Hey! You wouldn't say that if it was Holly that had the leg cast! You'd be totally okay with us traveling only six feet a day if it meant having Holly still travel with us, so I wouldn't talk." The rabbit monster countered, and for once Suezo had no comeback. Suddenly, the hotel room opened and Genki stepped through before being hugged by a tired, but relieved Mocchi.

"Genki okay, chi!" The young monster smiled as Genki hugged him back and picked Mocchi up in his arms.

"Yup! Besides a nasty bruise I'm totally fine. I'll have to let Holly know later."

"Speaking of Holly… WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CALLING YOURSELF HER BOYFRIEND, YOU LITTLE PUNK!" Suezo shouted as he spat a wad of wet spit into the young boy's face, causing Genki to reel back in shock and disgust as he tried to wipe the substance off.

"I can explain!

"CAN IT, KID! YOU'RE DEAD!"

Genki ducked as Suezo's tongue narrowly missed his head, and the young boy laughed before doing a flip over one of the beds. "You're way too slow to catch me!"

"Grrr…! Shut up!"

"No more fighting, chi! Tired, chi!"

Mocchi's yell was heard by the duo, and suddenly they felt the fatigue in their bodies consume them. It had been almost twenty four hours since they had been awake, and it had finally taken its toll on the group. Suezo mumbled something along the lines of 'I'll get you later, kid' before he flopped down on his bed and fell into a deep slumber. Golem followed his suit by leaning against the hotel wall and falling asleep under the stars, for it was better then sharing a barn with farm animals like last time. Genki lay down before Mocchi crawled over to the young boy and curled up next to his side. Genki smiled and put his arm around the young monster before he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

"…for a while I didn't think we'd ever get the chance to camp out with these guys again." Hare whispered as he pulled a blanket over his body, though he stuck his casted foot out since the cast made his entire leg extremely over heated.

"I hear you there. We have mainly Holly to thank for that." Tiger said with a smile as he rested a pillow under his neck to help make the cone over his head more comfortable.

"Yeah… Good night, mutt."

"…'night, rabbit."

Sleep took over the tired rebels as each and every one of them slept soundly with different thoughts running though their minds. Some thought of the journey, others the Phoenix, and a few the events from that night. Things had changed between the rebels that night, though especially between Tiger, Hare, Genki, and Holly. The fight was a brutal reminder for the two monsters about the consequences of actions that can happen in everyday life while the fight was a more peaceful reminder to the two humans about how sudden moments in time can bring people closer together.

In a white room in the nearby hospital, a young brunette slept with a red sleeping bag wrapped snuggly in her arms while she wore a smile on her face while her dreams were filled with events from that night. Throughout the evening, one part of Hare's quote continued to reply in her head while her mind drifted from the fight, to her crush, and to the two monsters that fought on the river bank and later began to understand each other.

"… _we really appreciate everything you do for us, Holly."_

**End**

* * *

FINALLY DONE. This is the longest chapter ever, and so I found out I'm very bad at planning my chapters (this is a little over 9,500 words). Anyways! I have to apologize for any mess ups in this chapter. Now that I'm back at college, I use my laptop now so this chapter had to convert from Microsoft Word 2003 to Microsoft Word 2007. It's weird. XP This is the end of this story so by this point you can imagine the group getting up later and heading back on the road with Tiger and Hare worse for wear for a week before heading off to fight Naga. :3 Dark Fox Tailz had pointed out that in "Battle of the Big Bad Four" Tiger and Hare fight side by side epically, so this whole story is set relatively close to before that. Now I'm glad I didn't do a one-shot. I planned on them being all happy and doing nice things for Holly and that being the whole one-shot, but when DFT mentioned that Tiger and Hare hadn't finished their grudge match in "For Granted", and then I knew a one-shot wasn't going to work. It was DFT's idea to have the big cast on Hare and the dog cone on Tiger. I thought it was a hilarious idea! ^.^ Again, sorry for the delay! I know this story wasn't that satisfying, but I need to move on to "Delusions of the Heart". Thanks again, all my amazing reviewers! It's nice that people read my stories, but it's even more fantastic when they read and then review. It helps me to know if I'm on the right track. Thanks again! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3


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